Naruto and The Soul Seal Jutsu
by Foxfan556677
Summary: AU, 9 out of 27 rookies passed the final graduation exam, Now the time has come to have their true soulmates revealed courtesy of The Soul Seal Jutsu, NaruHinaSaku SasuInoKarin. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing but the idea for this Au
1. Naruto and Sakura

**Chapter 1: Naruto and ****Sakura**

* * *

January 23rd, 64 AFL (After the founding of the Leaf)

In the Village Hidden in the Leaves a pink-haired girl with beautiful emerald eyes was on her way back home after a successful first day. Her parents were going to be so impressed with her she thought to herself.

'I told Mom and Dad I was gonna be a ninja and out of twenty-seven others I was one of the only ones to pass, Shannaro!, and it's all thanks to my Sasuke-kun.'

The girls crush, Sasuke Uchiha was rookie of the year and had been placed on her team along with her annoying buffoon of a friend Naruto Uzumaki.

'It was really smart of Sasuke to think of sharing our food with Naruto otherwise we all would of failed and Naruto wasn't too shabby either producing seven solid clones takes a lot of chakra. I'll have to give him more credit not to his face of course,' the girl thought to herself.

Her inner personality decided to add her own two cents. 'Yeah and tomorrows the big day we finally get to become Sasuke's one and only beautiful wife Sakura Uchiha,' her inner giggled.

Since their team had graduated her along with the other eight rookies would be finding out their true soulmates tomorrow thanks to the Soul Seal Jutsu.

* * *

Sakura finally arrived home and had informed her mother of her success of a final exam and that she was going to take dinner in her room and head to bed early after all passing out and screaming takes a lot of energy.

As she lay in bed her thoughts couldn't help but drift to what would happen tomorrow. Sakura had researched this specific seal extensively when she was in the academy and was confident Sasuke would be her match.

The seal, after all had been originally developed by the Sage of Six-Paths himself although the Jutsu had been lost by the time of the formation of the five great hidden villages it had been rediscovered and perfected by the seal master Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage himself shortly before his death.

The seal would identify the soulmate of anyone that they used the jutsu on and was as valid as any marriage at least in the Leaf.

Once the jutsu was activated the chakra of the person it was used on would shoot off into the world to find it's perfect match and infuse with that person's chakra and be sent right back to its original owners now mixed the chakra would form one of two seals on the right palm depending on the gender of that person.

If the person whom the jutsu was used on was female then their husbands clan seal would be imprinted on there palm signifying their bond and new clan status.

As for males they would also receive a seal on their right palm but it would be of the wife's clan symbol overlaid with his own to signify their union.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the thought of the Uchiha symbol embedded forever into her hand marking her as Sasuke's one and only, as she slowly closed her eyes the young girl finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

January 24th, 64 AFL

"Sakura!" The pink haired girl turned around slowly as she heard the name of her oldest friend and greatest rival both in love and in being a shinobi Ino Yamanaka.

"What Ino no forehead comment today?" Sakura asked the beautiful platinum blonde with a fair amount of spite in her voice as she glared at her old friend.

Ino started to match her glare but it slowly softened as did Sakura's. "Sakura I just want to say this before we go into the academy today"

Ino started and then took a deep breath as Sakura looked at her with a half-threatening half-curious expression.

"Sakura you were one of my first real friends and I'm really sorry for how I treated you once we both found out we liked Sasuke."

Sakura's expression slowly became one of understanding as Ino went on.

"I just hope that after today regardless of which one of us is picked as his soulmate that we can be friends like we were before."

Sakura tried to keep a straight face but she was never good at controlling her emotions as she immediately latched onto the blonde and began to sob.

"No I'm so so sorry Ino, it was me that ended the most important bond I've ever had over something that neither of us can really control so whether It's me or you I promise I'll be happy just please If It's you please promise me you'll heal him from his pain it breaks my heart to see him the way he is now."

Sakura pleaded to her best friend. Ino understood what Sakura was referring to, Sasuke had been a very kind and loving boy until the night his entire clan was wiped out. 'Sakura wants to save him from that darkness before it consumes him completely just like me,' Ino thought to herself, 'Just like I saved her all those years ago,' Ino smiled and looked at her friend who was down to sniffles at that point.

"Sakura I promise on my life I will do everything in my power to save him from himself."  
Sakura looked up at her and smiled "Thank you Ino for everything" Sakura said. Ino returned her smile and stated "Come on Sakura will miss our weddings if we don't hurry up."

Giggling slightly Ino took Sakura's hand who by now was consumed with her own giggle fit and the two friends made there way to the academy not attacking each other or competing but walking peacefully hand in hand like they had so many times before all those years ago.

* * *

Sakura and Ino entered the same room where they had been assigned teams a few days before and saw that the other seven rookies were already in the room. With a hug and a wave goodbye the two old friends went to join their respective teams as Sakura approached hers' she saw Naruto sitting next to Sasuke and thought to tell him to move but she stopped herself.

'I'll be marrying Sasuke in few hours anyway, what's the harm in sitting by Naruto he's at least talkative if annoying as all hell,'

Sakura thought but before she could invite herself into Naruto and Sasuke's conversation The Third Hokage and the Jonin instructors finally arrived.

"Alright you all know about today and the Soul Seal and since you are all genin it is a requirement that you find your future husband or wife as soon as possible since we ninja can lead very short lives this Jutsu perfected by my predecessor finds the true soulmate of another person guaranteeing a successful and happy life together. This is possible because when a new soul is formed by Kami it splits into two pieces and those pieces make up the souls of two individuals involved." stated the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Now we will begin, I will call your name and you and your Jounin sensei will follow us to a sound sealed classroom where we will perform the Jutsu." The Third explained.

"First up Shino Aburame."

If the boy with the oversized coat, shades, and bugs running through his body was nervous he didn't show as he followed the Hokage and Kurenai sensei to a closed room.

* * *

Sakura was growing concerned it wasn't that everyone was silent, she expected that it was that even her goofball of a teammate Naruto-baka who was always full of energy was quite as well.

'He must be really nervous I know he doesn't have a family maybe he's worried he doesn't have a true partner either,' Sakura thought with sympathy.

As she looked at him sadly and glanced around the room as if trying to find something to help comfort him. Eventually her eyes locked on a set of lavender ones slowly stealing peaks at her group mainly the yellow haired baka she knew all too well. Sakura smiled a sincere smile and leaned into Naruto's ear and whispered just low enough for only him to hear.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun I'm sure your soulmate is going to be someone who truly loves you with all of their heart."

As she slid back to her previous sitting position she smiled she had never added the  
-kun suffix before but she knew it would make him happy and it was only going to be this one time anyway and since he was the only one to hear it no harm no foul she figured.

He turned his head slowly towards her while still keeping it on their shared desk he was wearing his sincere smile not that obnoxious grin that annoyed her to no end.

"Thank you Sakura-chan I hope your soulmate is the same way too."

She smiled back and turned their heads as the next name was called "Chōji Akimichi"

* * *

"Why didn't Shino come back?" Naruto asked Sakura

"Naruto," she began annoyed that he didn't realize such an obvious reason but held herself back from hitting him, she didn't need to look like an angry monster of a woman in front of Sasuke today of all days her turn was next and she could bare Naruto's stupidity for a little while at least.

"Your soulmate could be anywhere in the world Naruto and the Jutsu doesn't really give you hints just your partners name and a general location of where they might be even though these bonds are a legally binding marriage and can usually never be annulled if there's a possibility of never meeting that person I've heard you can marry someone else once you turn 18 or reach Jonin status," Sakura explained.

"Oh that makes sense I guess," was all Naruto could say as his smile vanished and he seemed to submerge himself into a new wave of depression as his face hid itself on their shared table once again.

Sakura realizing her mistake of giving him the idea that he may never meet his true love tried to rectify her mistake but before she could do anything she heard her name called and couldn't contain squeal.

She shot up and nervously followed Lord Third and Kakashi sensei towards the sound sealed classroom. Sakura quietly followed her sensei and the Hokage praying to Kami above that her true soulmate was Sasuke Uchiha and that the Soul Seal Jutsu would prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The three entered the classroom together, only three chairs were in the room and the blinds were closed as well. With what Sakura identified as sound proof seals scattered along the walls something she would have to practice latter today her inner self piped in causing Sakura to giggle and her cheeks to match her hair color.

Lord Third and Kakashi took the two chairs facing towards the blinds and Sakura positioned herself in the chair facing them ready and willing for the task ahead.

"Are you ready Sakura?" Kakashi questioned.

"As ready as I'll ever be sensei kinda hard to answer that if your a girl on her wedding day, especially if shes not 100% sure who shes going to be marrying or even if my soulmate is even in the village." she explained.

"Sakura I know of your crush on Sasuke Uchiha," Lord Third began, "And I just hope you will accept the jutsu's decision since it has been tested extensively and was proven to be accurate since it's perfection by Lord Fourth almost fourteen years ago and since then it has been used for the marriage of every shinobi in the Leaf."

"I understand that and even if I'm not Sasuke's true soulmate I know Ino is and will take care of him if that's the case," Sakura replied.

"Very Good," The Hokage started, "Tie this strip of paper around your wrist and it will reveal the name of your partner and his or her general location.

Then close your eyes and give me your right hand Sakura," Sakura compiled without question and once the paper was tied tightly she gave him her hand and once it was locked securely with his she heard him shout "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu****!**"

Sakura felt like half her chakra had been drained out of her body instantaneously she felt groggy but managed to see a ball of green chakra fly out of the room through the wall. It headed towards the direction of the classroom and she silently hoped against hope that Sasuke would be it's receiver.

Sakura's chakra was indeed heading towards the direction of the classroom where the remaining six rookies were stationed. It headed through various walls and rooms and finally through the final door. Most of the rookies had no time to react as the chakra ball headed straight for two of them...

The two remaining members of Sakura's team Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. In the time it took from the door to its target the ball of chakra probably took less than fifteen seconds but it was enough time for three of them to get their opinions in.

* * *

Ino had immediately broken down in tears even though she was happy for Sakura it felt like a bitter victory sure Sasuke could be saved by Sakura but she loved him too and it wasn't fair.

Meanwhile Sasuke had gone into some incoherent rant somewhere along the lines of "Shit, fuck, please no Kami-sama just take me please,"

While that was happening Naruto began to cry tears harder than he had in a long time. He had lost his Sakura-chan to Sasuke for good the girl he loved more than anything because unlike the others she would give him advice and help him when he needed it and when no one else would.

Even if she found him annoying and she hated him it was never because of his curse that everyone else in the village knew about it was because of who he was as a person.

He remembered that little girl at the park when he was upset on the swing set she pulled him down and told him, well more like demanded he come play with her taking his hand in her own.

He remembered the day so well, April 3rd almost seven years ago, the same day they met he fell in love with her instantly because she didn't see a monster.

She saw a lonely little boy who needed help and that day at the very least she was willing to go against the opinion of the rest of the villagers and probably the will of her own parents just to try and make him happy.

That day he saw Sakura's strength, determination, will to do what's right as well as her unlimited kindness and utter beauty.

She was like a princess from the fairy tales he had heard about, that parents read their children before bed and as their lives went on he witnessed Sakura fall into that go with the flow attitude so she could fit in.

He never blamed her though, hell he would of done the same if he could but even though she was putting up a mask of how she really felt about things, just like him in his own way, he knew that girl was the same underneath and as she grew the things he loved about her grew as well.

Sakura's had gotten stronger physically and mentally she wasn't afraid of kicking anyone ass besides Sasuke's and could take an emotional beating as well as deal one out.

Her kindness was still intact however since she was still willing to help whenever he asked her, as long as Sasuke wasn't involved or around, and finally...

her big beautiful forehead which made her the most intelligent kunochi of their year she hated it but all Naruto wanted to do was kiss it and now he believed he never would or at least that's what he thought.

* * *

Finally the green orb of Sakura's chakra slowed it's pace as it got closer to the two boys everyone in the room expected it to enter into Sasuke's body and start merging. As his rant finally came to an end he just shoved his arms out like he was trying to hug the entire classroom.

"Fuck it guess I have no choice," Sasuke stated.

But as he got within a few inches of Sakura's chakra the orb suddenly flew around his body and rested itself right in front of Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto outstretched his hands and the orb settled right into his palms it stayed there as he brought his hands to his chest and looked at the small orb of Sakura's chakra. He could feel Sakura, her very soul was in his hands and he had never felt closer to her.

"Sakura-chan thank you, I promise I will love and protect you for the rest of our lives, I promise that on my life my Sakura-hime."

Naruto spoke to the orb gently and softly so only Sakura's chakra and Sasuke could hear. Sasuke smirked and then gave a genuine smile as he looked at his friend, he had never seen Naruto so happy true bliss emulated out of every inch of his smile.

Sasuke thought for sure he was Sakura's soulmate the girl loved him that much was obvious and he truly did care for her deeply perhaps as much as he cared for his parents but he cared deeply about Naruto too and seeing the look on Naruto's face a look he hadn't known his blond haired teammate could produce made the young Uchiha feel things he hadn't felt since before the massacre.

True love and affection for his friends he couldn't believe it. With all of these feelings coming to the surface Sasuke dropped any resentment or jealousy he would of been holding onto otherwise. He knew Naruto truly loved Sakura and eventually with any luck she would be in love with the idiot someday.

With his last few reserves and regrets settled Sasuke turned to face his best friend who was looking up at him, his eyes seemingly pleading for something from him and then it him. Sasuke just smiled a sincere smile and said,

"Enough keeping her in suspense already dobe, she's waiting for you,"

Naruto's smile grew even larger if it was possible, having Sasuke's consent meant alot to him, he didn't want to be on seriously bad terms with him if he was upset or disappointed. He knew deep down Sasuke did like Sakura, it was what always worried him the most but Naruto loved both of his teammates and if they had gotten together as badly as it would have hurt him he would have supported them all the way and knowing Sasuke was willing to do the same for him meant the world to Naruto.

"Thank you Sasuke,"

* * *

Finally the ball of green chakra started to merge with Naruto's body, as it did Naruto felt a sharp pain in his head and closed his eyes.

He slowly began seeing images of Sakura's past from as early as she could remember memories with her parents, being bullied and being insulted, befriending Ino as well as himself from all those years ago, her crush on Sasuke and the desire for acknowledgment from him, a feeling he understood all too well if not for different reasons, joining the academy as well as studying to become top kunoichi of their year.

As the memories were transferred so where Sakura's emotions and thoughts during those moments, in his own weird way he felt like he had become Sakura or at the very least understood her better maybe more than he understood himself.

Eventually the process of the memory transfer finished and Naruto was able to open his eyes, he was surrounded by what he assumed to be his and Sakura's chakra mixed together since it wasn't a bluish color like his or green like Sakura's it was a cyan color a perfect mix of their chakra.

Almost as if acting on a voice inside of his head he held both of his hands out in front of him and slowly the cyan colored chakra began to leave his body and like Sakura before formed an orb draining about half of the boy's chakra.

Unlike Sakura's however which was about the size of an apple, it was roughly five times the size leaving him groggy but still conscious.

He saw the orb fly back to whatever room Sakura was in as it flew through the door he swore he saw a small drop of orange inside but as the rest of his classmates began congratulating him most noticeably Ino and Sasuke the thought got buried in the back of his mind.

* * *

It wasn't long before the chakra orb reached the classroom where Sakura, Kakashi and the Hokage were residing, as it entered Sakura was surprised by it's new color and increased size.

"How did it get so big and what's with the new color?" Sakura questioned the pair in front of her.

"The new color represents the combination of you and your partners chakra and the size indicates roughly half the size of your shared chakra capacity," explained Lord Third.

'Wow whoever he is he's gotta be one powerful shinobi and considering how quick my chakra returned there aren't many alternatives other than Sasuke-kun,' Sakura thought to herself happily.

"Ok, I'm ready!" she said more to herself than to her sensei or the Hokage. She stepped in front of the orb and grabbed it with her hands but unlike Naruto who took his time to examine the orb and take in the moment she forced the entire orb of chakra into herself in one fluid motion.

Sakura cried out in pain for a moment forcing her eyes shut tight as she slowly began reliving her soulmates memories as the rest of her chakra merged with the orb and the seal on her right palm slowly began to form.

Sakura originally only saw darkness but slowly the first memory came to her, A little blond haired boy probably roughly six years old.

He was crying and suddenly she felt the boy sadness and loneliness as if it were her own, and as a result the girl began to weep as well until she saw a much younger version of herself come up to boy.

"Why are you crying?" the younger Sakura asked him.

"Because everyone hates me nobody wants to be my friend or play with me," the boy explained to her through tears.

"You know crying isn't gonna make anything better you should try to smile even on the worst of days because tomorrow always comes you know," she grabbed his hand and pulled him from the swing set as he looked at her tears no longer flowing but still not exactly a smile on his face.

"Ok, from today on where friends, come on let's go play together," she said as she smiled at him and lead him to the center of the park.

"My name is Sakura by the way, Sakura Haruno," she turned to face him one more time and she saw the biggest brightest smile she had ever seen plastered on his face.

"Thank you Sakura-chan my name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sakura was in shock she had completely forgotten that memory it was a few days after that she met Sasuke and her crush on him began.

She couldn't help but feel true happiness at that current moment she had saved Naruto from his darkness if only for a day.

It was the same thing she had wanted to help Sasuke with and why she had pursued his affection so strongly in order to heal him but no matter what she tried nothing would get through to the last of the Uchiha.

In the case with Naruto however she could make a difference, as she began to realize how much of a positive impact she had on Naruto when she was kind to him in his memories as well as the negative impact almost everything else in the village caused him.

The villagers intolerance of the boy refusing to sell him anything except those hideous kill me now jumpsuits of his as well as the store clerks inflating the prices of food and his overly priced rent. She realized he ate ramen because it was cheap but also for the love of the owners of Ichiraku who had risked their business in order to feed the hungry boy.

She saw the boy for who he was for the first time not the mask he had put on for all those years she saw his very soul, his struggle, and desperation to be acknowledged and to be validated in his existence just like she had always dreamed about. Even though the boy had suffered so much it only took a few words and a few simple acts of kindness from her to see him smile that beautiful smile of his that she herself had told him to wear.

'He needs me and I never even realized but I make him so happy and deep down seeing his smile really makes me happy too,' she thought to herself.

As this final realization dawned on her she accepted the last of Naruto's memories, thoughts, and emotions merging with her soul allowing the seal on her palm to finally finish.

Sakura was light headed and exhausted but she managed to lift her right hand to get a view of the seal. She smiled as she saw a black circle with a swirl inside of it the Uzumaki clan symbol had been engraved into her right hand.

She then turned it over in order to properly read the piece of paper that was tied to her wrist. Sure enough in thick black ink the paper read.

"**Sakura Uzumaki wife of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze**"

Location: **The Village Hidden in the Leaves**.

"Can I go see my team now?" the young girl asked she was ready to see her new husband and start planning a proper ceremony as well as tell Sasuke she was sorry. Sakura couldn't help but let a single tear drop fall at the loss of her first crush but she quickly recovered remembering Ino's promise to her.

'She saved me she can save Sasuke without a doubt, Cha! I have a Naruto-kun to save and protect now and I never have to worry about losing him to anyone,' thought Sakura as she let out a few giggles.

"Head to the infirmary and get checked out that jutsu takes a lot out of the person it's used on and you have to go through it again when it's Naruto-kun's turn," the Third explained.

"Understood bye sensei and thank you Lord Hokage," Sakura answered and proceeded to leave the classroom and head towards the infirmary a million thoughts and feelings going through her mind.

She reread her new name and gasped

"Wait does this mean Naruto is?!"

* * *

As Sakura made her way to the infirmary another girl her age was unable to think clearly.

To say that the shy Hyuga princess was sad would be an understatement realistically, just like Ino had a few minutes before tears had started to roll down her eyes.

Naruto the boy she loved so much wasn't her true love it was heart wrenching losing him to Sakura but she had been watching Naruto ever since he had saved her from those bullies on that cold wintry day almost eight years ago.

On the outside, many would say that Sakura hated Naruto but that wasn't what Hinata saw in truth they were the definition of an old married couple in her eyes.

Even though Sakura always pursued Sasuke she still helped Naruto and she could see the care in her eyes whenever he was in serious trouble and Hinata knew if Sasuke ever told Sakura flat out that it would never happen between them it would cause the emotional shift necessary in Sakura to latch onto Naruto for support and after that she would never risk losing someone else she loved.

That's why she had kept her distance in the first place she had wanted Naruto to be happy no matter what so she waited to see how Naruto and Sakura's budding relationship would turn out.

Now she was feeling conflicted thankful that she hadn't gotten any closer to the boy who was her hero and regret that she had wasted what little time they had just staring from afar instead of giving him kisses.

As the last of her tears dried she heard the comforting words of her friend and teammate while her name was called.

"Hinata Hyuga."

The Third Hokage and Kurenai-sensei led young Hinata into the room where the other Soul Seals had been performed.

The Third Hokage instructed Hinata the same way he did the others but adding

"For whats its worth Hinata I'm sorry Naruto-kun wasn't your soulmate I think the two of you would of been good for each other," the Third smiled a sympathetic smile at her.

"Now give me your right hand."

Hinata complied and the Third attempted the jutsu but for some reason it wouldn't activate. Both Kurnai and Hinata looked confusingly at the Hokage as he scratched his beard and said.

"I wonder, Hinata switch the paper to your left hand and we'll try that."

She once again complied and this time the jutsu finally activated and as it did, she began to feel weak but could see a lavender colored ball of chakra the size of an orange shoot out towards the direction of the classroom where the remaining genin were stationed.

"I pray I can love my husband as much as I love Naruto-kun it wouldn't be fair to him if I didn't," her thoughts going towards her future partner whoever it may be.

A few minutes later a much larger orb returned the color was a bit darker now but it was roughly five times the size of the original.

She held her hands out slowly and took the orb of mixed chakra into her body she smiled instantly as the process took roughly two minutes half of the time it took Sakura's seal to set.

She held out her hand and looked at the seal it was lightning bolt surrounded by square smiling she took the time to examine her wrist and finally read her new name.

"**Hinata Namikaze wife of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze**"

Location: **The Village Hidden in the Leaves**.


	2. Naruto and Hinata

**Chapter 2: Naruto and Hinata  
**

* * *

January 24th, 64 AFL

"Hinata Hyuga", The Hyuga princess with eyes brighter than the moon dried the last of her tears when she finally heard her name called. When she rose from her seat she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her teammate Kiba Inuzuka.

"Don't worry everything will work out right Hinata, after all love always finds a way right" Kiba said with a sympathetic smile. "Thanks Kiba-kun I'll be ok I promise" she managed the best smile she could as she began following Kurunai sensei and the Hokage to the sound sealed classroom.

After the trio had made their exit Naruto turned to Kiba and asked "Why was she so upset?" Kiba sighed and gave Naruto a dirty look "She's been in love with you for about as long as you have loved Sakura, you oblivious dumbass."

Naruto looked at Kiba with shock and disbelief in his eyes but once he saw Kiba's serious expression he knew his friend was telling the truth. Naruto sighed and looked down at his desk, "I didn't know" he finally replied "I must really be a horrible person, when I think about it she always been cheering me on even Sakura-chan never cheers for me over Sasuke-teme but she always did, but why? Why!?" He questioned slamming his fist down in anger, "Why didn't I ever notice?"

"I'm so sorry Hinata." Naruto expressed his remorse and regret for not noticing her before with a few tears that slowly made there way down his whiskered cheeks. Kiba sighed. "I don't really know Naruto but it's not all your fault she was trying to keep her distance so you could eventually make it work with Sakura and she didn't want to be in the way."

Kiba explained the situation to his friend and then finished with "She truly loves you she wants you to be happy no matter what, even at the cost of her own love and dreams to be with you." Naruto buried his head into the desk and started a quiet apology to Hinata "I'm sorry Hinata I wish I could of made your dreams come true."

* * *

When Hinata finally entered the sound sealed classroom she noticed the three chairs stationed in the middle of the room as well as sound proof seals scattered everywhere. She took the seat opposite the Hokage and her sensei and looked up to them.

"Alright I'm ready," Hinata stated a determined look on her face. She was the Hyuga heiress after all and she wasn't going to be afraid, Kurunai and the Hokage smiled "Alright Hinata tie this slip of paper around your right hand it will reveal your soulmates name and his general location, then let me see your right hand."

Like Sakura before she complied with the Hokage without question and once she had his hand in hers she heard him shout "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**" He waited a moment but nothing happened he tried a few more times but the jutsu refused to activate. Kurunai and Hinata looked confusingly at the Hokage as he began scratching his long white beard.

"I wonder, Hinata switch the paper to your left hand and we'll try that." The Hokage then proceeded to weave an all to familiar sign "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he shouted as a solid duplicate of himself appeared next to him. It nodded to the original and exited the room.

Kurunai looked puzzled at the Hokage but she brushed it off, she knew the Hokage knew what he was doing. The Hokage returned his attention to Hinata "Alright, are you ready to try again?" he asked "Yes" she replied nervously.

Hinata was growing worried, what was going on she wondered but as she looked up at the Hokage and saw his kind and understanding smile her anxiety and worry were slightly suppressed. "Don't worry Hinata everything is going to be fine," he said calmly, she eased up and gave him her left hand She heard him shout once again  
"**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu"** and this time the jutsu activated.

As she felt the jutsu take effect she began to feel her chakra slowly leave her body until roughly half of it had been extracted. Hinata could best compare the feeling to afternoon spar with her father, absolutely exhausting. She looked up and saw that her lavender colored chakra had formed into the shape of an orb and was roughly the same size and shape as an orange.

Hinata saw the ball shoot off toward the direction of the classroom where the other genin were still waiting to have their soul seals performed "I hope I love my soulmate as much as I love Naruto-kun it wouldn't be fair to him if I didn't," her thoughts going to her future partner whoever he may be.

Like Sakura's before Hinata's chakra orb found its way to the room where the others were waiting patiently but it didn't enter alone. With the orb the shadow clone that the Third had created a few minutes before came in as well. Everyone watched as the orb slowly made its way towards two individuals, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

"Guess Hinata is my soulmate" Sasuke grunted out 'Makes some sense were both quiet and reserved and at least she's not a fan girl,' he thought to himself. Sasuke reached out his hands out to try and make contact with the orb of lavender chakra but as he got closer it darted away from him towards the other boy Naruto Uzumaki, "Again seriously" Sasuke muttered to himself.

Naruto held his hands out and the beautiful ball of lavender chakra rested itself gently onto the palms of his hands. He smiled at first but then quickly locked eyes with the Hokage's clone and began to panic.

"Oji-san, I swear, I swear, this isn't a prank there's no way I could pull off something like this!" Naruto pleaded with the Hokage. Naruto thought it was all over for him, the Hokage would strip his ninja license for messing with the Soul Seal Jutsu formula, he would never be Hokage but then he remembered something just as bad, if that was possible.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted in panic.

"She's going to literally kill me if she thinks I pranked the Soul Seal Jutsu, believe it!" Naruto revealed to the room as he began retelling the tale of what transpired after their first team meetings just two days before.

* * *

Flashback: January 22nd, 64AFL (Two Days Ago)

"Oh Naruto." Naruto heard Sakura call out to him and immediately turned around to face her, unfortunately for him instead of seeing the cherry blossom's beautiful smile he saw her beautiful fist instead. He felt one then another, then a third, and she continued her assault on his face for quite some time, they didn't hurt that badly Sakura wasn't that strong and Naruto figured she needed to get something out of her system.

It wasn't until he felt her tears on his face and her words that he truly felt pain "Do you think that it's funny to prank one of your teammates, someone who is supposed to be your friend and comrade and just get away with it!" Her assault slowed as she started to sob into his chest "Why Naruto? Why would you do that?" When they had ended up on the ground he did not know but he realized what she was referring to.

"I'm sorry Sakura, I didn't mean to hurt you so much, the truth is I just wanted to get to know you a little better and I was finally able to figure out just why I like you so much." Sakura sobs slowed as she looked into the eyes of the blonde baka for any signs of dishonesty, the same eyes that she had felt piercing into her very soul a few hours before, the same eyes that had looked at her with so much love, affection, and devotion that it had scared her from its intensity. He had said those beautiful words to her like something out of a fairy tale she had to know.

"Did you mean It?, What you said about my forehead I mean?" Naruto looked into her emerald eyes with the same amount of confidence and affection that he had displayed earlier while in his henge. "You truly do have a beautiful forehead Sakura-chan, and I would love to kiss it every day if I could." He gave her the biggest grin that he could muster with his smashed up face. Sakura was in shock she couldn't process this information, this boy, "Naruto-baka wants to kiss in his own words my beautiful forehead everyday and he wasn't lying or pranking me." This was something she had dreamed her soulmate saying, something she had hoped Sasuke would say to her one day but it was Naruto-baka and to be honest, deep down she really loved it.

She got up off of Naruto and threw him over her shoulder "Eh, Sakura-chan what are you doing?" "Taking you home baka!" she growled out but tried to soften her voice as she continued "listen I'm sorry for overreacting and breaking your face in but you hurt me very badly by deceiving me like that Naruto and I was very upset when I thought that i had just become one of your stupid jokes."

Naruto saw the dried tear marks on her cheeks and sighed disappointed in himself but he couldn't stop himself from asking the one question that was bugging him though. As he attempted to apologize to her he also inquired.

"I'm really, really sorry Sakura I promise I won't ever deceive you or anyone else like that ever again but I have to know how did you even find out it was me?"

* * *

By now the pair had reached Naruto's apartment, she entered after he handed her his keys and she proceeded to drop him on his couch. It was then that she finally answered his question.

"I ran into the real Sasuke literally a couple minutes later, I admit I insulted you and said things I kinda regret now but do you know what he did that I really didn't expect." "What Sakura-chan?" Sakura looked down at Naruto and smiled, "He defended you and started badmouthing me instead" Naruto's jaw dropped to the floor. Sakura couldn't suppress a giggle as she saw his dumbfounded expression.

"That's right I couldn't believe it but he called me annoying and said I would never understand anything about you two maybe he was right but that's when he left me standing there dumbstruck and I felt so terrible. Sasuke had called me the same cruel names I had always called you and I made a promise to myself right there and then to be nicer to you because no one especially you or me deserves to feel that way."

Naruto looked up at Sakura with a smile on his face and she smiled back as she continued "But then I saw you coming my way and I tried calling you over but you wouldn't respond. I saw that you were holding your stomach the exact same way Sasuke had been before running off on me. Before he got sick he had almost kissed me or should I say you almost kissed me" Sakura smiled smugly then continued.

"And that's what made me realize, It was you and your, and your, your **Potty Issues!**" she finally managed to spit out in disgust "Seriously you go running to the bathroom like that at least twice a month how would I not realize that was you." She finally finished.

Sakura decided she had had enough of this baka for one day and got ready to leave. As she approached Naruto's front door she heard him say "I truly am sorry Sakura I really didn't mean to hurt you and like I said before I meant every word I really do think you have the brightest most beautiful forehead in the world."

Sakura's face matched her hair but she composed herself quickly and turned to face the blonde "Don't be Naruto, what you said was seriously the sweetest thing I've ever heard just promise me you won't disguise yourself when your giving me or any girl for that matter compliments its kinda rude you know, have some confidence in yourself your not that bad of a catch." She replied "Thank You Sakura-chan I promise I won't ever do anything like that ever again."

His answer pleased her but she needed to drill this into his brain, that identity theft was a big no no, her expression shifted from one of happiness to one that Naruto could only define as demonic.

"Good, because if you ever do that again or pull a prank like this again you will be a dead BAKA!" she screamed at Naruto with enough furry to shake the small apartment. Her expression shifted once again to what one could almost call flirtatious "See you tomorrow Naruto and thank you for the compliments they really were sweet" she winked and shut the door leaving Naruto alone in his apartment.

Naruto was left in a state of shock but after a few minutes he managed to gather himself and realized he was uncomfortably wet. That was when he felt his backside and realized "Kami-sama she literally scared the crap out of me," he said to himself more astonished then disgusted at that point. He headed towards his shower making a mental note.

"Naruto's Ramen Notes #62" - Never ever seriously piss off Sakura-chan, **Ever**."

End of Flashback

* * *

January 24th, 64 AFL

As Naruto retold the events of that day he began to drown in a mix pf anxiety and confusion when he was suddenly snapped out of it by the laughter of the Hokage.

"Naruto-kun I know you didn't pull any pranks the Soul Seal Jutsu formula is constantly stored in a chamber that has one of the highest security clearances in the village." "Like the Scroll of Sealing," Naruto muttered low enough for only him to hear but the Hokage caught it and frowned.

"Yes, like the Scroll of Sealing was supposed to be" the Hokage corrected "And even if you did get access to this particular Jutsu formula somehow no ninja of your skill could modify or influence the Soul Seal Jutsu, even if you tried it would take a shinobi of Kage level or higher to do that and even then they would have to be a genius when it came to seals Lord Fourth made sure of that."

Naruto gave an annoyed look at Lord Third but it softened as he gazed at Hinata's chakra orb once again. It was still resting in his hands when he asked "But Oji-san how can Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan choose me I thought you could only have one true soulmate?" Naruto looked at the man he considered a grandfather with a truly confused expression.

Lord Third smiled at the young shinobi as he answered his question "It's extremely rare Naruto-kun but it is mentioned in the notes for the Soul Seal Jutsu that Lord Fourth left behind. As you already know when a new soul is created by Kami-sama it is split into two pieces and those pieces manifest themselves in us at birth usually divided evenly between two individuals. In your case however it would appear that when Kami-sama created your soul he actually split it up into three pieces those pieces being you, Sakura, and Hinata. Naruto responded to the Hokage's explanation like he did anything to complicated.

"Um can you say that again in smaller words?" he asked as the Hokage tried to slam his face into the closet grabbable object he could find but stopped himself remembering he was a shadow clone and would disappear with a good enough hit.

"Naruto-kun" the Hokage tried again "What I'm saying is that Hinata and Sakura are both your soulmates, you need both of them because they both share pieces of their own souls with yours and vice versa. So don't feel guilty or worried about having two beautiful wives to take care of." The Hokage chuckled "Somehow for some reason Kami-sama knew you would need those two women to keep you in line." The Hokage finished and smiled at Naruto.

Naruto returned his smile but still felt absolutely confused as Hinata's chakra orb finally began merging with his body he said softly "I'm sorry for not always being there for you Hinata-hime but I promise that changes today, believe it!"

Naruto at first saw nothing but then he was suddenly surrounded by a blinding bright light. "Why is it so bright?" he asked himself as he attempted to cover his eyes but when that failed to help at all his gaze dropped to his feet. He saw that his feet were surrounded by the same light and he lifted his foot to try and examine the substance but his feet just went right through it like he wasn't he even there. He looked down and examined the ground closely.  
"Snow!" he stated aloud "It's snow!"

As Naruto looked around he realized where he was his favorite spot right on top of the Hokage monument. That's when he spotted them, three boys probably about ten years old picking on a miniature version of Hinata. They were shoving the poor girl to the ground and when she would get up they would push her down again. They looked as if they were trying to steer Hinata in a certain direction and that's when Naruto realized, the boys were trying to push her off the side of the Hokage monument directly over Naruto's favorite spot the head of Lord Fourth.

Naruto rushed to her aid with speed he had not known he possessed but as his fist made first contact with the boy's face he felt nothing as his hand went through the boy's head. Naruto finally remembered, "Right this is a memory, Kami this sucks I can't do anything for Hinata again." he said in anger and frustration but that soon led way to sadness and desperation as Naruto began to feel Hinata's emotions and thoughts regarding what was currently happening to her.

"Why are they doing this to me? I didn't do anything wrong. Why does everyone hate me? Even my own clan wishes I was never born." Naruto experienced Hinata's pain and loneliness as if it were his own, he recognized it so clearly it was so similar to his own pain he thought as tears fell from his face to the snowy ground below. "Maybe, Maybe they're right if I just let them keep pushing me I'll-I'll fall and I won't be around to make everyone suffer and I won't be anyone's burden." Hinata thought, tears running down her face pale face

"Nooooo!" Naruto roared "Hinata you're not a burden to me and you never will be please don't give into despair, please let me help you let me save you, please Hinata don't give up" Naruto cried out in pain and suffering "The Village needs you, your teammates need you, I need you."

Naruto looked up and time stopped, the boys had finally pushed Hinata off the side of the monument right over the top of the Fourth Hokage's bust. Naruto couldn't move, couldn't even think as he watched the boys run off to the village as he heard her screams of fear and terror and then nothing.

After about a minute Naruto was able to get his body to cooperate with his brain and he was able to reach the side of the monument. He felt like he was about to vomit but forced himself to look down. What he saw surprised him at first, there was an old kunai embedded into the Fourth Hokage's nose and long rope attached to the other side of it. He recognized both items after just a few seconds, the old kunai was his taken as a trophy from when he had snuck into the forest of death and the Hokage himself had gone in looking for him. The old rope was something he found when he had first moved into his apartment he remembered he had wanted it to make his own swing-set a special one just for him. These things were not important at the moment however as Naruto scanned over the side for any trace of Hinata and that's when he saw them.

What he saw astonished him, there was Hinata holding on to what he could only assume was a younger version of himself. She was latched to his back like a baby monkey to its mothers as the younger Naruto slowly scaled his way back up the side of the monument using that old rope that the elder Naruto knew all too well.

"Why did you save me? Hinata asked the miniature Naruto after a few minutes. "Your a member of this village right, well your looking at the future Hokage Naruto Uzumaki and what kind of Hokage would I be if I had let you fall and get hurt," the younger Naruto answered her honestly and with a goofy smile on his face. The elder Naruto smiled he could feel Hinata's happiness as well as another emotion that he could easily identify, love. At that very moment Hinata fell in love with him and at that moment he couldn't help but feel love for her to.

As the memory faded Naruto began to experience more of Hinata's memories bundled with her thoughts and emotions. Eventually the jutsu had fused Naruto and Hinata's chakra together and Naruto was finally able to open his eyes.

Just like last time Naruto was surrounded by a combination of his and his soulmates chakra. With Hinata's lavender colored chakra and Naruto's blue chakra mixed together the color resembled a dark blue that appeared to have streaks of purple running through it. Just like he had done before he reached his hands out in front of him and an orb of Chakra began to form.

Once it was finished, he looked at the orb, it was roughly five times the size of Hinata's. That however was all the information he could take in before his head slammed into the desk with a loud thud. Sasuke shook his best friend with concern before he realized what was wrong and turned to the Hokage.

"Uzumaki-dobe fell asleep" Sure enough when everyone looked at the blonde baka's face he had that stupid foxy grin of his on and drool covering his face and a good part of his desk, alternating from snoring to saying his new wives names with affection to mumbling random incoherent statements like "But Sakura-chan I don't get sick to often and I love it when you feed me ramen like this," and "Hinata-chan lets hurry up and make dinner before Sakura-chan gets home you know what will happen if she gets her hands on anything edible."

As the classroom exploded in laughter the Hokage's shadow clone and the merged orb of Hinata and Naruto's chakra made its way back to the classroom where Kurunai, the Hokage, and Hinata were waiting patiently.

* * *

Hinata had been waiting a while for her and her soulmates chakra to return. As the minutes clicked on by she began to ask herself more questions and that only aided in increasing her anxiety and worry.

"Will he love me? Who is he? Am I gonna be good enough for him? Can I truly make a happy life with him even though we've never met?" Hinata was concerned about her future but she was also concerned about her soulmates too she wanted him to be happy even if he wasn't Naruto-kun. That was just how truly kind and pure the beautiful Hyuga princess's heart really was and she knew even if Naruto-kun hadn't ended up with the girl he currently loved the most Sakura Haruno.

He would have done anything and everything within his power to make his soulmate truly happy regardless of who she was and Hinata would do the same. A few minutes passed and finally the chakra orb containing Hinata and her soulmates mixed chakra finally returned.

Hinata noticed it's new color and increased size and looked at the Hokage who simply nodded and gave a comforting smile. She managed to return a small smile of her own and she slowly extended her arms towards the giant orb of chakra.

She finally made physical contact with the orb, as it started to merge with her body, she smiled as she realized who her soulmate really was. She didn't know how and she didn't care how but somehow someway her soulmate had turned out to be her Naruto-kun after all. She graciously accepted all of Naruto's memories, emotions, and thoughts with zero objection or resistance to the Jutsu's decision causing the seal to form in record time, just over two minutes roughly half the time it took Sakura's seal to set who had been shocked by the Jutsu's decision in the beginning and in turn caused her own seal to take longer.

Hinata finally opened her eyes and examined the seal on her left hand. She could see it was a lightning bolt surrounded by a square, panicking for a moment she quickly turned her wrist to read her new name.

"**Hinata Namikaze wife of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze**"

Location: **The Village Hidden in the Leaves**.

She smiled as she reread her new name once again to make sure she wasn't making a mistake and realized, 'Naruto-kun must be the heir of two clans and not even know it,' Hinata thought and decided it would be best to ask the Hokage directly.

"Lord Hokage how can Naruto-kun have two soulmates? Does it have something to do as to why I am a Namikaze and not an Uzumaki?" The Hokage smiled at her and replied, "I will answer all of your questions by the end of the day for know follow my shadow clone to the infirmary. He will explain why Naruto-kun has two soulmates and the very unique bond the three of you share once you two find Sakura.

As for Naruto-kun he has already been informed of everything he needs to know for the moment and is currently recuperating from having two Soul Seal Jutsu's performed on him within the span of fifteen minutes." The Third Hokage explained and finished with, "He will join the two of you once he has his own seals placed, lucky for him it won't be his turn for a while yet so he has some time to rest. After that's done I will explain everything about your symbol and your new clans."

"Ok thank you," Hinata squeaked out. She began to follow the Third's clone to the infirmary and glossed over her new name once again, "Namikaze, why does that name sound so familiar?"

* * *

"Kiba Inuzuka," The final member of Team 8 left his seat and followed the Hokage and his Sensei to find out the identity of his true soulmate. He was sad about not being Hinata's true love but knew that Naruto would make her the happiest and that's all that really mattered he figured as he put on a smile and exited the room leaving only Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Ino left to acquire their seals.

Sasuke was busy making quite the design on Naruto's sleeping face, although a good chunk of the ink kept running off it due to his inhumanly amount of drool. Sasuke had given Naruto a perfect star around his left eye while several other much more indecent designs were scattered upon his cheeks and nose. Sasuke had finally completed his masterpiece when he placed the Uchiha symbol directly on the top of Naruto's forehead and just underneath that signed his work with "Naruto Uzumaki forever Sasuke Uchiha's bitch." It was then that Sasuke heard the next students name called "Shikamaru Nara."

"This is gonna be such a drag," the boy with the black pony tail commented as he rose from his seat and proceeded to leave the room. Just before he exited he heard Ino comment "Gook luck Shikamaru" and the only thought the lazy boy could think of was, 'Kami-sama please anyone but her.'

Shikamaru entered the classroom with Asuma sensei and the Hokage in tow and quickly determined where he was supposed to be sitting. He took his seat and simply stated, "I don't need any explanations I know how the jutsu works let's just get this troublesome event over with." Asuma and the Hokage simply nodded and gave the boy the paper that would reveal his soulmates name and location. Shikamaru quickly tied it to his right hand and gave it to the Hokage. "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**" the Third said and Shikamaru quickly felt nearly half of his chakra leave his body and form into a brown orb. It shot quickly towards the South West of Konoha and returned about ten minutes later about double its original size and the color had lightened considerably.

Shikamaru said nothing as he waited for the ball of chakra to reach him and when it finally did it started to merge with his body. It took a few minutes but the seals on Shikamaru's right hand finally set. As he looked at them and muttered a, "Troublesome,"

"What's wrong Shikamaru?" Asuma questioned him. Shikamaru chuckled at the pair of them and said, "See for yourself," Shikamaru raised his right palm so the pair could get a good look at the seals on his hand. The Nara clan seal was placed upon it but underneath that an hourglass with a lid on it's top. The Hokage's and Asuma's eyes widened as Shikamaru continued to chuckle, "That's right turns out my soulmate is a member of the Kazekage's clan, troublesome indeed."


	3. Sasuke and Ino

**Chapter 3: Sasuke and Ino**

* * *

January 24th, 64AFL

As Shikamaru exited the classroom the Third Hokage was lost in deep thought, a million questions going through his mind.

'What is going on? It's not uncommon for a few shinobi to have their soulmate's location be outside of the village but this is ridiculous. So far all of the shinobi who have had their Soul Seals performed have had soulmates not only outside of the village but Suna,Kumo,Taki, as well as this new village that just showed up North of here Otogakure.

Then there's this odd three person bond between Naruto-kun, Sakura and Hinata that's supposed to be extremely rare according to Lord Fourth's notes but this is the first time it's actually occurred. Kami-sama just what are you planning? What does this mean for the future of the Leaf, for the world in general?'

Asuma looked at his father who was still deep in thought. "What are you thinking old man?" he asked. "Nothing It's not important, let's just get the next student I believe it was Sasuke Uchiha next" the Hokage responded. The father and son pair made their way back to retrieve the last of the Uchiha with Asuma wondering what he was going to have to do in order to finally earn his father's trust.

* * *

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke heard his name called and began to follow the Hokage and Kakashi with an even more unpleasant expression on his face than usual.

"Sasuke-kun I'll see you in a little bit I'm sure of it" Ino said, before Sasuke could exit the room he turned around and glared at her "Honestly Ino for your sake I really hope not," he replied leaving Ino in a confused and irritated state.

'Why does he have to be so damn angry all the time, I mean I know he's been through a lot but I just want to help him understand that he can still love and be loved even if his family is gone. Seriously it's not like he actually saw his brother kill his clan right?' Ino thought to herself. In a few moments she would know the answer and through that become closer to understanding Sasuke and what it meant to be the last of the Uchiha clan.

* * *

As Kakashi, the Hokage, and Sasuke took their seats in the sound sealed room the two adults noticed the irritated expression on Sasuke's face.

"Sasuke I would think you would be at least a little happy, after all this is the first step in achieving your dream of reviving your clan," Kakashi tried explaining to his most gifted student.

Sasuke looked at his sensei and gave an expression similar to one he gave whenever thinking about Itachi, "Yeah real fucking lucky for me and my soulmate as soon as our marriage is announced Itachi will return and finish us off I'm sure of it." Sasuke has a point thought Kakashi but before he could voice his opinion the Hokage shared his own.

"Sasuke don't worry about that right now, official marriage ceremonies can't occur until both partners reach sixteen or chunin status," the Hokage explained. "Besides I've already decided that all of the Soul Seals that have been performed today will remain confidential until both parties are of age and or rank. The only ones who will be told are the parents, as for the rest of the village it will be a S-Class secret for your protection as well as your classmates." the Hokage finally finished.

Sasuke seemed to relax a bit and did as the Hokage instructed tying the piece of paper he was handed to his right hand and then giving it to the Hokage. "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**" he shouted.

As soon as he did Sasuke passed out upright in the chair he had been sitting in, completely drained of chakra. Unlike with the others, the Soul Seal Jutsu had taken the majority of Sasuke's chakra but that wasn't the only difference the two adults noticed. Instead of one ball of chakra Sasuke had expelled two balls of equal size and both black in color.

"Sasuke too!" the Hokage stated awestruck that a second student in this years graduating class had potentially two soulmates. Kakashi's reaction was a little different as he began silently crying tears of joy, being an avid fan of Jiraiya the Toad Sage's best selling book series Makeout Tactics he couldn't of been more proud of his two male students. The Hokage regained his composure when he saw Kakashi's reaction and quickly proceed to give him a good Tsunade style bonk to the head, although the Hokage would normally agree with him now was not the time for this.

The Third quickly tied a second paper to Sauske's left hand and as he did the two black balls of chakra shot off in two different directions, one heading towards the classroom where the only remaining female graduate remained and one heading directly north of Konoha.

* * *

The first black orb found its way to the classroom where Ino was waiting patiently. When she saw the orb she jumped out of her seat and cried out in happiness.

"Yes Sasuke-kun I promise I'm going to love and protect you forever as well as save you from yourself!" she stated proudly. She walked towards the orb of Sasuke's chakra and similar to Sakura she forced the orb of chakra into her body in one fluid motion causing Ino to scream as she shut her eyes.

Naruto stirred at all the noise Ino had caused and looked around the room not noticing the platinum blonde just standing there like a zombie. "Guess It was nothing," he said as he proceeded to lay his head back on his desk and return to his nap.

* * *

Meanwhile the shadow clone of the Third Hokage and Hinata had finally met up with Sakura.

"Hey Hinata" Sakura started and struggled with the next part but it finally came out, "I'm sorry I took Naruto away from you I know you really, really liked him." Sakura looked at the Hyuga heiress with sympathy but was shocked when Hinata started giggling.

"Actually Sakura the Hokage wants to speak with us in private about that" Hinata told Sakura who looked confusingly at her and then the Hokage's clone who simply smiled and nodded, "Follow me," he said.

The two kunoichi followed the old man to another classroom littered with sound seals around the walls although the desks and chairs were still present. The three sat down and the Hokage finally began explaining the truth about Naruto and his parents

"Naruto's father was Minato Namikaze you may also know him as the Yellow Flash or the Fourth Hokage, his mother was an Uzumaki survivor from the Whirlpool Village known as Kushina Uzumaki also known as the Hot-Blooded Habanero. They both perished the night of the nine-tails attack and because Minato had so many enemies including ones inside of the village itself I made the decision to keep his parentage a secret and it needs to remain that way, at least until you are all old enough to defend your new family," the Hokage explained to the two girls.

"Our new family?" Sakura looked at the Hokage and then Hinata who giggled once again and then showed Sakura her left hand. Sakura didn't recognize the clan symbol on Hinata's hand nor did she know why Hinata's left hand had the seal and not her right but those questions were overpowered by shock as she read the paper on Hinata's hand. In big black Ink it read.

"**Hinata Namikaze wife of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze**"

Location: **The Village Hidden in the Leaves**

"Yup, apparently the two of us are both of Naruto-kun's soulmates Sakura-san," Hinata laughed at her pink haired friends dumbfounded expression.

"But how?" Sakura asked and in turn the Hokage explained, "As I told Naruto-kun before when a new soul is created by Kami-sama it is split into two pieces and those pieces manifest themselves in us at birth usually divided evenly between two individuals right." Both girls nodded in unison so the Hokage continued.

"In your case however it would appear that when Kami-sama created your souls he actually split it up into three pieces those pieces being you two and Naruto-kun. "So you're saying we all need each other in order to live the happiest and most successful lives that we possibly can? Sakura asked.

"Yes but there's a little more to it then that, you see both Hinata and Naruto-kun share pieces of their own souls with yours so the stronger the love and affection you have for each other the stronger you will all become," the Hokage elaborated.

"Ok I understand and accept it," Sakura huffed in annoyance, "I guess I don't mind sharing him with Hinata she's definitely a better choice than Ino-pig."

"Thank you Sakura-san I was afraid you might hate me because of this." The Hyuga princess looked at Sakura with a small smile on her face. Sakura smiled back seeing the kindness and sincerity in Hinata's expression and pulled her into a tight hug after which she turned back to the Hokage.

"So I'm guessing based on our new names I'll be the matriarch of the Uzumaki clan and Hinata will be the matriarch of the Namikaze clan," Sakura half stated half questioned the Hokage.

"Yes I suspect you were chosen as an Uzumaki because of how similar you are to Kushina and Hinata was probably chosen as a Namikaze because of her similarities with Naruto's father but for now both of you will be considered Sakura and Hinata Uzumaki, at least until the time that Naruto's father's identity can be publicly revealed.

Also we have decided to keep all of the Soul Seals that were performed today a secret so when it comes to the majority of the village you are still Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga. We will have a meeting later today with both of your parents and Naruto-kun and I will reveal the rest of Naruto-kun's story to you then but for now farewell you two."

The Hokage's shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the two wives of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze still confused but with a better understanding of their soulmate and a comforting feeling that their questions would be answered at the meeting later tonight.

* * *

Ino had slowly started seeing Sasuke's memories and as she did, she began to experience Sasuke thoughts and emotions as if they were her own. She saw the young Sauske who was always compared to his elder brother Itachi and how he just wanted his father's love and acknowledgment.

How Sasuke trained hard to surpass his brother from an early age but what surprised her most, instead of jealousy and hatred for his elder brother, the only thing Ino could feel was the undying love Sasuke had for Itachi. Sasuke truly loved Itachi and as Ino began to feel happy for Sasuke she was suddenly transported to a dark room which she immediately recognized from Sasuke's other memories as the Uchiha living quarters.

It was then that the young Sasuke and Itachi came into view. At Itachi's feet Ino recognized two people dead on the floor, Sasuke's mother and father Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. The sight of the two caused Ino to almost vomit but she failed since she was trapped inside of a memory, although that did little to help ease the younger Sasuke's stomach.

"Itachi, What, what is going on? Who killed mother and father? Why is everyone in the compound dead Itachi?" the seven year old Sasuke cried out in pain.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi responded by throwing a kunai impaling his brother in the shoulder. "What are you?" but before Saskue could finish his eyes met his brothers "**Mangekyou Sharingan - Tsukuyomi!**" Itachi shouted.

Through the Tsukuyomi Sasuke relived the brutal and horrific death of his parents for three days straight watching them die over and over again by his elder brother's hand. Ino had gone into shock from the Tsukuyomi as she was seeing the exact same genjutsu the same way he was.

She could feel Sasuke sadness and fear as his parents were taken from him again and again for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the genjutsu ended and Sasuke and Ino were set free, they both looked at Itachi with pure rage and hatred in their eyes. The genjutsu caused Sauske's sharingan to awaken with one tomoe in each eye but this didn't scare Itachi. He just stood there as he once again activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and started to explain it's secrets, "Little brother you may be one of the few who can use these eyes known as the Mangekyou, if you do manage to awaken it come and find me and kill me if you can." Itachi said coldly "There is a catch though,

You must take the life of your best friend, you must kill him only then will you have the power and hatred necessary to kill me."

Itachi knocked Sasuke unconscious inadvertently knocking Ino out as well. The last of Sasuke's memories, thoughts and emotions were transferred to Ino who opened her eyes mentally exhausted from the Soul Seal Jutsu as well as Itachi's Tsukuyomi.

Ino started to fall to the ground but she was caught before she hit the floor by the number one knuckle headed ninja himself Naruto Uzumaki.

"Kami your loud I was taking such a nice nap." Naruto smirked at the blonde in his arms and let her stand on her own. She was about to pound him for holding her like that when she was Sasuke's girl but didn't for two good reasons.

The first being that he had just saved her from smashing her face into the wood floor and the second being the designs that her new husband had drawn all over the blonde baka's face.

Ino burst out in a roar of laughter as Naruto stared at her with a dumbfounded expression which caused Ino to laugh even harder. When she did eventually calm down she put her hands out in front of her and a huge ball of blackish blue chakra was ejected out of the palms of her hands. It flew back towards the room Sasuke was in, it was then that Ino thanked Naruto for catching her and explained her reasoning for laughing.

"Damn teme," Naruto muttered as Ino pulled out her handkerchief and began to clean Naruto's face with it, she didn't catch the insult as she was deep in thought with one desire on the forefront of her mind.

'Itachi Uchiha, I promise I'm going to make you suffer for what you've done you bastard.'

* * *

Sasuke regained consciousness as the first orb of his and his soulmates chakra returned. He immediately noticed the color and could swear he could hear the sound of a woman nagging come from the orb.

"This one is definitely Ino," Sasuke groaned. Sasuke reluctantly took the orb of merged chakra into his hands and as he did his mind was flooded with Ino's thoughts, emotions, and memories.

The seals on Sasuke's right hand slowly began to form as he was transported to the first memory. Sasuke saw nothing at first but the world slowly started to come into view around him and he noticed he was in a place he knew much too well for his own liking. He was at the Uchiha memorial and that's when he saw her, a blonde girl with short hair and blue eyes.

She was standing over the memorial and then he saw the incredible display of flowers she had in her hands. She had a beautiful mix of red and white roses that even from where Sasuke was standing, could tell it must of cost a lot even if her parents did own the flower shop they would never give Ino that many flowers for free she must of had to work it off somehow.

She placed them down and as she turned to leave Sasuke saw his younger self confront Ino "What are you doing here? You're not an Uchiha right so why do you care if my family's dead huh?" the younger Sasuke questioned her in an angry and confused tone.

"I honestly don't like it when anyone is hurt or killed it makes me really sad," the seven year old Ino explained with a frown.

"I've also seen you here crying everyday since it happened and I just wanted you to know that there are still people in the village that care about you," as Ino finished her frown turned into a smile.

The elder Sasuke was stunned, how had he forgotten such an important conversation, Sasuke would never admit it but what the young Ino said was true he had gone their everyday and cried after the massacre but he had stopped one day and only went on occasion now. He had wondered what had made him stop and he realized.

'It was Ino's flowers, they made me feel like I wasn't completely alone and I knew that my parents were always being watched by her roses even if I wasn't there,' he thought to himself and for the first time in six years Sasuke Uchiha smiled his true smile.

However that vanished quickly when he saw his younger self throw a punch towards Ino's face as he screamed.

"I don't believe you! Your just making fun of me and my clan's death!" The elder Sasuke tried to stop his younger self but was surprised when he saw the younger Sasuke stop, a few inches short of Ino's face.

"Why didn't you hit me?" Ino questioned him, "My mom said to never hit girls who weren't enemy shinobi" the young Sasuke replied as he turned away from her and started walking away.

Sasuke suddenly felt a pair of arms surround him and he suddenly felt safe, warmth, it was like his mother had come back to life and was hugging him, the way she always used to when she would sneak up from behind him while playing ninja.

Sasuke turned around believing for a few moments that his mother was actually embracing him but when he saw that it was the blonde girl he immediately shoved her off startled by the feelings she had produced within him.

"Oww what was that for?" Ino asked him while she sat on the ground looking up at him, tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Sorry, you just don't understand." he replied.

"Then please help me to!" Ino almost begged him.

He tried explaining to her "The Uchiha are a cursed clan. It would be better for you to just, just leave me alone!" he said with a few tears of his own starting to form.

"Then I'll just have to be the Uchiha who ends that curse," Ino said to him with confidence and a blush adoring her face.

Sasuke turned to face her again shocked by her proclamation but as he did his cheek met a pair of lips.

"At least one day I hope." Ino finished after kissing him on the cheek. Both Sasuke's just stood there stunned, red slowly spreading throughout their faces.

Before she disappeared from view Sasuke managed to ask her a single question "What's your name?"

The young blonde turned to face him with a smile and some red on her cheeks.

"My name is Ino, Ino Yamanaka."

* * *

As the memory faded Sasuke smiled, Ino was different she had showed him something that day that no else had, that it was possible to feel love again and that even if his family was gone she at least truly loved him and was able to at least understand some of his pain.

In Sasuke's mind, he thought no one would be able to truly understand him but perhaps Ino could at least a little bit and perhaps he could afford to allow her entry into his closed heart.

With this final realization the seals finally set on Sasuke's right hand, first was the Yamanaka clan symbol and overlaying that the Uchiha's clan symbol. Sauske went to read the paper attached to his right hand, in big black ink it read.

"**Sasuke Uchiha husband of Ino Yamanaka Uchiha**"

Location: **The Village Hidden in the Leaves**.

Sasuke couldn't suppress a slight grin at being Ino's soulmate as a thought occurred to him.

'This jutsu really does affect the way we feel about each other, just a few hours ago I hated Ino but now dare I say I could almost hug her.' Sasuke groaned at that thought.

'I guess we're only experiencing each others memories but still I wonder what it's like if you don't share any memories with your soulmate?' the raven haired teen pondered.

Sasuke would get his answer in the next few minutes as a reddish black orb made its way back to Konoha and entered the room where Sasuke, the Hokage and Kakashi were located.

"Ready for round two Sasuke?" Kakashi asked him barely holding himself together due to his fits of laughter that had been caused by Sasuke's various facial expressions during the Soul Seal Jutsu. Sasuke groaned out a, "Yeah, let's finish this."


	4. Sasuke and Karin

**Chapter 4: Sasuke and Karin**

* * *

January 24th, 64 AFL

As one orb of Sasuke's chakra headed toward the classroom where Ino and Naruto were currently residing, another headed outside the borders of the Leaf Village, directly north of Konoha.

It traveled through the great forest outside, through the massive trees that protected the Leaf from outside attacks and then soared over the heads of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. It finally made it way to a wooded area and was guided into a cavern, which the entrance looked suspiciously like that of a snake.

As the ball of chakra quickly made its way down the cavern, the smell of blood and decay increasing with every inch, it passed a pale skinned man with golden eyes who saw the orb and quickly followed it, looking like he had won the lottery. "That's Uchiha chakra if I've ever sensed it, must be because of the Fourth's Soul Seal Jutsu perfect, If I have Sasuke's soulmate I can use her as bait and I'll finally have my sharingan." Orochimaru thought to himself.

The ball eventually stopped in one of the test subjects cells, Orochimaru quickly looked at her cell name "Karin Uzumaki, interesting," Orochimaru couldn't contain a sadistic laugh "Perfect, she'll do nicely." Orochimaru watched with a sick grin as the orb of Sauske's chakra entered the unconscious Karin who was asleep on the floor of her cell.

Karin had nightmares that day more tramitiazing than any before, like Ino she saw the Uchiha massacre and how Itachi placed Sasuke under genjutsu. She was trapped in the Tsukuyomi for what felt like days and in time she grew to hate Itachi too, almost as much as she hated Orochimaru.

She then saw the kind young boy he had been before that and how much love he had in his heart before the massacre and how it was still inside him buried deep somewhere under that broodiness he always emitted. She saw how strong and handsome he was, how he always seemed to want to help people who were weaker than himself, and then there was his chakra. His chakra felt so warm, so powerful, but also so gentle and pure, she subconsciously accepted it along with all of Sauske's memories, emotions, and thoughts as the last of his chakra merged with her chakra and soul. She awoke with a fright as she extended her hands and an orb of Sasuke and Karin's combined chakra shot out of her hands and headed straight back to Konoha.

"What the fuck was that Orochimaru?" Karin asked him looking extremely pissed off, she assumed she had just been experimented on again and in her sleep no less. Orochimaru began laughing sadistically.

"Oh don't worry Karin-chan, I'm sure you'll learn everything you need to soon enough." He left the poor girl their still in her cell as she began to cry about her predicament and the loss of the utter bliss that the dream had provided her just a few minutes before.

'That boy is just like me, his clan was butchered just like mine and he's gone through so much suffering at the hands of a sadist.' Karin looked at her arms and legs that were covered with bite marks and bruises as she continued to silently weep.

'I wish I could see him again, I wonder if he's even real?' Karin thought as she struggled to find comfort on the dirt floor and tried to fall back to sleep in a vain attempt to relive her last dream.

* * *

The orb of Karin and Sauske's chakra quickly found its way back to Konoha and re-entered the room where the Hokage, Kakashi, and Sasuke were waiting. Sasuke had just had the Yamanaka and Uchiha symbols sealed on his right hand when he noticed the ball of reddish black chakra enter the room.

"Ready for round two Sasuke?" Kakashi asked him barely holding himself together due to his fits of laughter that had been caused by Sasuke's various facial expressions during his previous Soul Seal Jutsu. Sasuke groaned.

"Yeah, let's finish this," he stood up and touched the orb chakra with his hands and it slowly started to merge with his body the seals on Sasuke's left hand started to form. Sasuke saw nothing but black and thought the memories were still processing until he heard the sound of a girl crying. He looked down and saw a redheaded girl with ruby eyes and glasses.

"Why am I still here?, Why can't he just kill me already?" Karin slammed her bruised hands on the ground in frustration. It was then that he saw the door open and the only vestiges of light leaked through but it was enough for Sasuke to get a better look at her. She was definitely pretty from what Sasuke could tell but what he saw next pissed him off.

Karin was in nothing more than what one could at best call rags and she was covered in bite marks and bruises from head to toe. She had several infections all up and down her legs and arms, and from what Sasuke could tell if she moved even slightly blood and pus would ooze out of them. Sasuke then looked at man, who opened the door with such hate and malice it may have even scared Itachi.

In Sasuke's sights, a pale skinned man with golden eyes "Karin-chan it's time for today's experiments!" he said to her with a sick grin. Karin started shaking uncontrollably and began hyperventilating, Orochimaru just looked at her with a frown before it was replaced with another sick grin.

"Well, I was curious about this new muscle relaxer, apparently it freezes the body stiff, while it makes the brain think that it's on fire." Orochimaru slowly walked up to Karin and jabbed a large needle into her neck.

"Alright this should last about twelve hours, a normal person would probably die but your Uzumaki chakra should keep you alive, if not oh well," Orochimaru laughed sadistically and left Karin alone in the dark one again as her body went limp.

Sasuke tried to soothe Karin the best he could but realistically he wasn't actually there so helping her was out of the question, at least for now. It wasn't long before this memory faded and Sasuke saw the rest of Karin's memories.

He saw the girl lose her mother to enemy shinobi when she was younger and then her life as an orphan who had to steal just to survive. He saw her first meeting with this, Orochimaru and how he promised he would be like a father to her and take care of her. Karin had cried in true happiness for the first time in years, Sasuke could feel that through her emotions and it just made him hate Orochimaru even more. The last few memories he saw where all of the times she had been experimented on and tortured, being bitten over and over as well as being used as a guinea pig for his dangerous new poisons because her Uzumaki blood would keep her alive longer.

As the Soul Seal Jutsu finally ended the last of Karin's memories, emotions, and thoughts were transferred to Sasuke and he slowly began to open his eyes. His black pupils had been replaced with a one tomoe sharingan in each eye, the sight of Karin's torture at the hands of Orochimaru had allowed him to reawakin his sharringan for the first time since the night of the massacre. He wore a sickly, almost insane looking grin as he thought to himself.

'Congratulations Orochimaru, you've been added to my dream right next to my brother.'

Sasuke had added Orochimaru to his must kill list, second only too Itachi, for what that bastard had done to his 'Karin-chan.' Sasuke's creepy looking grin and newly acquired sharingan vanished instantly realizing he had added the chan honorific to her name, it was then that he noticed the odd looks he was getting from the Hokage and Kakashi.

"Did you find out who your second soulmate is?" Kakashi asked him. Sasuke huffed and showed the two the piece of paper attached to his left hand. In thick black ink it read.

**"Sasuke Uchiha husband of Karin Uzumaki Uchiha"**

Location: **The Village Hidden by Sound**.

"Another one from Otogakure huh," the Hokage said with an annoyed tone "Ok, Sasuke you're dismissed," Sasuke nodded and exited the classroom with one thought dominating his mind.

"I'm going to save you Karin, and then I'm going to make your torturer suffer a fate worse than death, nobody fucks with the Uchiha clan and gets away with it, I just need to find a way to get into the Sound Village." Sasuke laughed coldly and sadistically at the thought of Orochimaru's blood and organs scattered at his and Karin's feet as he slowly made his way to the training fields.

* * *

"Naruto Uzumaki,"

Naruto jumped from his seat as he finally heard his name called and rushed over to the Hokage and Kakashi, almost knocking them over in the process.

"Calm down Naruto and follow us or better yet I'll just carry you myself since you seem to want to be so close to me." Kakashi said with a smirk as he lifted Naruto by his collar and walked him to the sound sealed classroom. Naruto was kicking like a child in timeout trying to break free from Kakashi's grip but when he felt his but land in a chair and he saw his sensei and the Hokage's serious expressions he straightened up.

"Ok Naruto-kun tie these two pieces of paper around your wrists, one on your left and one on your right." Naruto complied and he asked "What now Oji-san?" "Just give me your right hand Naruto and we'll be done," Naruto complied and heard the old man shout "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**"

Like Sasuke before Naruto felt most of his chakra leave his body all at once but unlike Sasuke he was able to remain conscious. Two blue orbs were ejected out of his body and he saw them head towards whatever direction Sakura and Hinata might be.

Meanwhile Sakura and Hinata where having a discussion about their new husband and ways to make his life happier.

"I really like your idea Sakura-san, although I don't know if Naruto-kun is going to be too thrilled." Hinata giggled at Sakura's plan for their Naruto-kun and Sakura looked back at her smugly.

"He may be cute and funny but he's going to need us if he's gonna be Hokage and it's a necessary step in the right direction," Sakura replied with an air of confidence. "Although Hinata your idea for our baka is really good too but how are we gonna afford that?" Sakura asked the Hyuga princess with genuine curiosity.

"Don't worry Sakura-san I'll take care of that, I have plenty of ryo but remember nothing but the best for our Naruto-kun." Hinata said to Sakura strangely seriously.

"Of course Hinata don't worry I'll take care of it and can you stop using the -san suffix with my name where friends and co-clan matriarchs now, there's no need to be so formal," Sakura said with a smile.

"Ok Sakura," Hinata returned her smile as the two blue orbs of Naruto's chakra reached the two girls.

They held hands and smiled at each other and at the sight of Naruto's chakra. They held out the hands that contained their clan symbols and quite quickly this time Naruto's chakra merged with the two girls. After a minute or so two mixed orbs of chakra had formed in front of the two girls, one cyan colored and one dark blue with purple streaks.

Both orbs quickly darted back to Naruto but Hinata's was the one to reach him first and it quickly merged with his body forming two seals on his right hand. The first was the Hyuga symbol and overlaying that a symbol Naruto didn't recognize, it had a square with a lighting bolt inside of it.

He didn't have time to question this however because as soon as Hinata's seals had formed, Sakura's orb shot right into his chest merging with his body as well. It didn't take long and the seals on Naruto's left hand set in place with ease as he gazed at it. The Haruno symbol was engraved into his left hand along with own symbol, a circle with a swirl in the inside, which had been laid overtop of Sakura's.

He smiled and didn't bother looking at his name tags or saying goodbye to Kakashi or the Hokage as he sprinted through the door at full speed in search of his Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan. He didn't need to search for long as he opened the door, he almost ran over the pair of them.

The two looked startled for a minute but smiled and Sakura said. "Naruto do you mind taking Hinata to Ichiraku's for a bit, I'd come too but I have something really important to do, I'll see you two at the meeting with the Hokage later, Ok?" Sakura half asked half told the blonde haired boy leaving him and the young Hyuga princess alone as she walked away to perform some unknown task.

"Well that was a little weird, Come on Hinata-chan I made a promise to never let you feel neglected again." Naruto stated with pride and before she could answer he grabbed her by the arm and basically dragged her to his favorite restaurant. On the way Hinata sighed and thought.

'Sakura's right, he's definitely gonna need some training in manners among other things but he still the boy I know and love and together we'll mold you into the greatest Hokage ever, that's my promise to you Naruto-kun.' Hinata looked back at her soulmate and was surprised when her gaze met his, she knew that look, only Sakura ever got that look but now it was for her. That look in his eyes could make any girl faint from the utter love and devotion it emitted, so for Hinata who was just starting to come out of her shell, it was of course to much. She fainted, lucky for her Naruto noticed and picked her up into his arms, "Huh, she must be tired or really hungry if she's just collapsing randomly," the blonde idiot smiled confusingly and carried the Hyuga princess over the rooftops, finally coming to a stop right outside Ichiraku Ramen.

* * *

"Ino Yamanaka,"

The final graduate heard her name called but rather reluctantly got up from her seat and started following her sensei.

'It's strange,' Asuma thought, 'Ino always been so loud, I wonder what's gotten into her? And what about dad making all of the Soul Seals this time confidential, I understand the reasoning behind Sasuke and Naruto but he's never made an entire class keep their unions a secret? What the fuck is going on?' Asuma's line of thought came to an abrupt end when the three of them entered the classroom, without saying a word the three took their seats and the Hokage started.

"Alright Ino take this paper and tie it around your right hand and then give your hand to me." Ino compiled without saying a word which both adults in the room noticed but chose to say nothing "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**" the Hokage shouted for what he thought would be the final time today. The jutsu refused to activate and the Hokage sighed while Ino looked at him puzzled

"Just switch the paper to your left hand, we had to do this for Hinata too." Ino compiled once again but thought to herself, 'This means Sasuke-kun has a second soulmate too, I wonder what she's like, thank Kami it's not forehead.' This time when he activated the jutsu it worked.

An orb of Ino's chakra quickly formed and found its way to Sasuke who was reentering the academy after a quick test of his new eyes. He saw the orb and let it enter his body with no resistance and it quickly merged her chakra with his own. He lifted his hand with the Yamanaka symbol and another orb of their chakra formed and quickly rushed back to Ino's location.

The orb soon entered the sound sealed room and Ino waited patiently for the orb to make contact with her. It eventually did and the seal on her left hand quickly formed as Sasuke's chakra merged with hers. She looked at her left hand and saw the Uchiha symbol sealed into it, she then turned her wrist and read her name.

**"Ino Uchiha wife of Sasuke Uchiha"**

Location: **The Village Hidden in the Leaves**.

Ino exited the classroom after saying her farewells to the Hokage and her sensei and made her way out of the academy. She was surprised however when she saw Sasuke standing near the exit.

'Is he waiting for me?' Ino thought hopefully. She finally regained some of her energy at the idea but decided to calmly make her way over to Sasuke. "I'm sorry, if I kept you waiting," she told him with sincerity.

"Don't be, you didn't, now come on let's go" Sasuke answered her honestly and without any malice or broodiness in his voice. Ino would have normally been up Sasuke's ass, jumping on his back and telling him how to shower her with affection but after she saw all the shit he had been through, she realized that it was best to gain his affection slowly.

She also felt genuine sympathy for him and wanted nothing more than to see Itachi Uchiha dead. She struggled to find what to say to him as they made their way through the leaf village but before she realized it they were at her parents flower shop. Ino looked at Sasuke and was surprised when she saw a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, for your roses Ino, I never got the chance to tell you that when we were younger." she blushed and he turned and started walking away.

"Can we train together tomorrow, after missions I mean?" Ino was able to blurt out before he disappeared from view. Sasuke turned around and gave her that small smile again.

"I'd like that but don't hold back, remember the Uchiha are the strongest clan in the leaf village and we don't lose to anyone." Sasuke stated and smirked.

"Especially to baka-uzumaki's or in your case forehead-uzumaki's," Sasuke actually chuckled a little as he finally made his departure. Ino looked at him fondly until he disappeared from view and then entered her family's flower shop to reflect on everything that had transpired today.

* * *

When Hinata finally regained consciousness she found herself in the arms of her new husband Naruto Uzumaki.

"You're up, good were here." Naruto stated with happiness in voice and ordered ten bowls all at once while Hinata only ordered one. She began eating but saw Naruto's table manners and the noodles protruding from his nose and she sighed once again.

'I hate that I'm going to have to be Sakura when she's not around but it has to be done.' Hinata did something she never thought she would do, she gave Naruto a good bonk to the head.

"Oww, what was that for Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked her with a hurt look she almost cried from his expression but regained her composure and quickly explained, "Naruto-kun, the way you were eating, well it was just disgusting, please watch me, if you really want to be Hokage you need to learn how to act with respect once in a while." she finished and smiled at him but he had a confused frown so she added.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, just think of it as training ok, all Sakura and I want is for you to be the greatest Hokage you can be," she subconsciously brought her hand to his whisker marks and started petting them. Naruto began leaning into her and purring as a small smile formed on his face.

"Ok Hinata-chan," he finally said with a smile and proceeded to finish his remaining four bowls of ramen at a much slower pace.

"Do you want to hangout after missions tomorrow Hinata-chan?" Naruto suddenly asked her. "I'd love to Naruto-kun but Sakura's gonna get jealous if you keep only taking me out." Hinata said with a blush in her cheeks.

"Don't worry I plan on asking Sakura-chan tomorrow as well, we see each other everyday now after all." Naruto explained, "Well Hinata I'll see you tomorrow I'm beat," Naruto threw enough ryo down for his and Hinata's meal and started walking towards his apartment but before he could even exit the ramen stand he was confronted by Kakashi.

"I figured I'd find you here Naruto, and Hinata as well, come on you two have a meeting with the Hokage," he picked Naruto up like he had earlier in the day and Hinata followed the pair laughing along the way at her husbands feeble attempts to escape the jonin's hold.

When the three finally arrived in the Hokage office Naruto was surprised to see all of the people that were gathered. On one side of the office were Sakura and her parents Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno and on the other, Hinata's father Hisahi Hyuga.

The hokage motioned for Naruto, Hinata and Sakura to sit in front of them while the adults stood behind them wondering what all this what about. "Alright everyone as you know thirteen years ago the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked our village and the Fourth Hokage killed the beast sacrificing his own life to do so." The adults in the room nodded uncertainty and the Hokage continued.

"This was a lie you see the Nine-Tailed Fox has always been a part of the village it has been passed down since it was first sealed into Mito Uzumaki, you may know her as the wife of the First Hokage. When Mito was near the end of her life the village decided it needed to find a new jinchuuriki so we acquired a girl from the whirlpool village someone you knew quite well if I remember correctly Mebuki, Kushina Uzumaki." Sakura looked at her mother in shock but Mebuki just put a hand on her shoulder and lipped "We'll talk later, promise" Sakura huffed but turned away and the Hokage continued.

"She was trained in the leaf as a shinobi and acquired quite a name for herself along with her husband, many of you knew him as the yellow flash or Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage." Everyone besides Mebuki, Kakashi, Hinata and Sakura's jaws dropped

"So what your getting at is, that this boy, no Naruto is their son?" Hisahi questioned in disbelief. "Yes thirteen years ago Kushina was pregnant with Naruto and someone leaked the information to an unknown party whom took advantage of the Nine-Tails seal's only weakness."

"What weakness?" Sakura couldn't help but question. The Hokage smiled an odd smile and said simply.

"Childbirth, the seal weakens considerably whenever a female jinchuuriki is about to give birth and that's how they were able to extract the Nine-Tails from Kushina. Unfortunately once a Tailed Beast is extracted from its host the jinchuuriki... dies."

All the females in the room gasped in horror and Naruto looked to the floor with tears in his eyes realizing the truth about his mother and her death. Sakura and Hinata both held on to him closely trying to give him some semblance of comfort. Once everyone calmed down a little the Hokage continued.

"Minato had no choice but to seal the beast into the closest living thing in order to save the village from the Nine-Tails's destruction. He had no choice but to use his very own son."

Naruto and his two wives looked at him with anger but the Hokage quickly explained "Please Naruto try to understand your father couldn't ask the villagers to do something he wasn't willing to do himself." Everyone stared in shock at the Hokage until the blonde baka's expression changed from one of anger to one of happiness, "I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage, believe it!"

The tension in the room seemed to lessen a little as Hiasashi spoke, "So I assume you told us all this because my daughter is Naruto's soulmate." "Yes both Sakura and Hinata have been chosen by Kami-sama to stand by his side so I wanted both of their parents to know the whole story. However this conversation never leaves this room. Sakura, Hinata I expect you two to make sure Naruto-kun keeps his mouth shut." "Right" Both girls said in unison with smiles on their faces, "Alright your all dismissed."

* * *

Naruto returned to his apartment that night happier than he had ever been before. He slowly reached into his cupboard but noticed something a miss. He quickly began searching through every drawer and cabinet searching frantically for his precious.

He suddenly opened the fridge in anger at the thought of his cup ramen hiding itself in the fridge but what he saw instead he couldn't believe. His refrigerator was stacked with fresh food and vegetables, along with several different juices, fresh milk, eggs and pounds of different cold cuts. He could also see dozens of different condiments on the side of the door. He shut the fridge and opened it again to make sure he wasn't dreaming and then checked the freezer as well.

Inside were various pieces of frozen food, packages of ground beef, chicken and fish were organized into their own piles and Naruto even saw some fat free ice cream in the back. He shut the freezer and began to cry tears of joy wondering who would do something so kind and that's when he spotted a single cup ramen sitting on his kitchen table. He picked up the sealed package of ramen and saw the note underneath it and began to read

**"Dear Naruto,"**

**"Thanks to the Soul Seal Jutsu I realized you really don't get reallly get enough healthy food into you, you baka so I decided to do a little grocery shopping for you although, I've taken your sucide ramen hostage sorry but that and the sour milk you love so much are the cause of your potty issues, Cha!"**

**"With affection, Sakura"**

Naruto didn't know whether to cry at Sakura's kindness or at the loss of his cup ramen so he simply decided to do both.

* * *

**AN: **There is an in story reason as to why Naruto and Sasuke have two soulmates and it will be explained if I ever get far enough into the story but no one else ever will that is all that I am saying.

This will follow the Naruto canon with differences based off of the new relationships that have been developed because of the Soul Seal Jutsu although I may add a filler ark or a short ark of my own creation if I feel inclined

Thank You.


	5. Prelude to the Land of Waves

**Chapter 5: Prelude to the Land of Waves**

* * *

January 25th, - March 14th, 64 AFL

The next month and a half provided the Uzumaki's and the Uchiha's a chance to grow stronger which they took full advantage of. Since the bondings that the Soul Seal Justu provided Naruto and Sakura spent almost every waking hour together, from training, to missions, to just going on casual dates.

Over the course of time their relationship started to grow and Sakura began easing up on Naruto for his antics and even agreed to help him and Hinata with a good prank to the Hokage monument although she ended up having to give him an even greater smack for trying to put whiskers marks on his father's face.

They practiced their taijutsu every few days with Hinata and their styles began to mix with each others adding an element of the others fighting style to their own. Once a week the girls would buy Naruto fresh groceries and every few days Hinata would cook dinner for them, while trying to give the Uzumaki's a few cooking lessons at Naruto's apartment.

Naruto could manage a few things but anything Sakura touched would somehow get burned, be sour, or just plain inedible which had caused the Uzumaki matriarch to have a sudden emotional breakdown. This had resulted in Hinata and Naruto comforting the pink haired kunoichi and giving her several pep talks until Naruto said something stupid which caused Sakura to snap from a state of sadnees to overwhelminng anger in turn causing the blonde baka to fly through his front door. When she went to give him another Hinata had stopped her and whispered in her ear,

"He does that on purpose to make you feel better, tell me are you sad anymore Sakura?" Hinata had asked her with a frown on her face. Sakura immediately realized the truth and helped Naruto up and brought him to his bed. She decided to feed him a few of the packages of cup ramen she had been hiding from him and sat with him the rest of the day. Little did she know Naruto was fine and was currently enjoying one of his most re-lived dreams. Naruto honorably tried to repay the two girls for their kindness but they would just smile and say, "Make it up to us on our dates." Naruto would try his best but even the future Hokage makes mistakes from time to time.

* * *

Naruto's first date with Sakura after the Soul Seal Jutsu hadn't gone well unfortunately, they had gone to Ichiraku's like they had done a million times before but Sakura wasn't just a Haruno anymore she was an Uzumaki too and had acquired some of the traits that she would of prefered to live without.

She had realized by the end of the night that even though the majority of date had gone well and Naruto had even eaten like a gentleman for once, something was wrong. She saw exactly what that was when she saw her stack of ramen bowls that was at most ever at two was currently at thirteen and she was currently on her fourteenth. She immediately began crying and beating Naruto similar to when she had thought he pranked her but Naruto couldn't contain a blush and a smile at Sakura's odd reasoning for her anger

"Where not even having babies yet and you're already making me fat," she wailed in sorrow and sobbed into his chest eventually stopping her assault and falling asleep in his arms. He proceeded to carry her home, he thought she was asleep when her parents let him in and laid her on her bed when the son of the Fourth said to her "Goodnight my wonderful cherry blossom," he kissed her forehead and exited her room leaving out the front door after saying goodbye to her parents. She touched the spot where he kissed her and smiled in content as she drifted off to sleep.

Naruto was a little oblivious when it came to actual romantic dating and Hinata had to give him a crash course on proper dating etiquette and what gifts a girl like her or Sakura might enjoy, to proper restaurants for a romantic outing. Like anything he put his mind to Naruto soon mastered the art of the romantic date and even earned his first kiss from Hinata after he had surprised her with a moonlit picnic, at the very place they had met.

As Hinata gazed at the moon she had heard him say the words she had dreamed to hear "I love you, Hinata, you know, you're more beautiful than the moon." She looked into eyes and they shared an intimate kiss, it was short but it was everything Hinata had ever dreamed of. That night Naruto mentioned Kakashi's saying something about Sakura having a potential in genjutsu and the very next day Hinata was introducing a nervous Sakura to her sensei Kurenai. Kurenai agreed to train Sakura after she got a little stronger and had a little more experience which the pair of Uzumaki-Namikaze's kindly thanked her for.

Sakura would eventually have the conversation about how her mother knew Kushina and she revealed that her, Kushina and Mikoto all used to compete for Minato's affection and had become friends and rivals through there love for Minato. She told Sakura how she had ended up falling for her father instead and that Kushina had even considered her for Naruto's godmother although that never happened because of the Nine-Tails attack.

Mubuki told Sakura many stories about Kushina and actively compared the two and after a few hours Sakura began to look at Kushina as a role model and would pass these stories to her Naruto-baka whenever they had the time. Eventually Sakura asked her mother why she never encouraged her to play with Naruto but Mebuki just smiled and said,

"I never told you not to play with him, it was your crush and infatuation with Sasuke that did that and if I remember correctly I would catch the two of you alone playing every once in a while." Sakura smiled back, "Yea I wasn't sure what you would say so I never told you that I played with him but I'm happy I did." Sakura had replied with a small blush on her cheeks.

* * *

As for Sasuke and Ino they had indeed been training every day after missions and team training which had caused the pair but more noticeably Ino to improve dramatically. Sasuke slowly began teaching Ino the Uchiha's taijutsu styles although he had to be careful what to implement into her form since it was supposed to technically be used in conjunction with the sharingan. He even tried teaching her the Uchiha's signature fireball jutsu but that had failed miserably.

Sasuke was so astonished by Ino's complete lack of fire style chakra that he was curious enough to swipe a few chakra papers from the academy in order to determine Ino's chakra nature. Sasuke was extremely pleased to learn that like himself Ino had two chakra natures with a strong affinity to earth and a weaker affinity to water. With Sasuke's lighting as his primary affinity and fire as his secondary, the two Uchihas could cover four of the five chakra natures in combat. Sasuke in turn realized he would have to learn more jutsu than ever before and began practicing copying other peoples jutsu's to an excessive degree. In order to do this effectively the Uchiha's and the Uzumaki-Namkiaze's would meet up once a week for friendly spars which made both of their clans even stronger.

Naruto received a nice surprise when he realized Sakura was cheering for him now instead of Sasuke. After one of the boys more intensive spars Sakura took it upon herself to start studying medical scrolls and common antidotes for poisons which Ino soon followed not wanting to be out done. Sasuke had mastered his one tomoe sharingan buy the end of February and was struggling to unlock his second tomoe but on March 12th after an oddly intense spar between Naruto and Sasuke, he finally unlocked the second tomoe in his left eye. Sasuke was so elated he actually thanked Naruto and took Ino out for their first real date.

It was a small meal in a decent restaurant but Sasuke was pleasant and the two communicated relatively well. Ino was still curious about Sasuke's second soulmate but had chosen not to pry, she had learned that given enough time Sasuke would open up himself and pushing him would only be counter productive. He walked her home at the end of the night and she thanked him but instead of saying a word for the first time he hugged her. No one else was around so no one would see this act of emotion from the last of the Uchiha but Ino was still elated and returned the hug with affection not too tightly as to make him uncomfortable but snug enough to know he would feel her love for him.

Sasuke disappeared into the night and Ino entered her home and immediately called Sakura to talk about her date. Ino and Sakura both decided to do something nice for their boys whenever their first real mission to leave the village would be. It was a shock for Ino of when Asuma had commented her on her increased patience and concentration as well as her shinobi arts which Ino too kindly accepted. What worried Ino the most however was that sick and evil grin Sasuke would get on his face when no one was watching, it gave Ino the shivers and she prayed hopefully that given enough time that sadistic expression of his would disappear completely.

Team 7's dynamic had changed completely compared to what it had been before the final graduation exam. Instead of fawning over Sasuke, Sakura was taking all of her training and missions seriously and had even started berating Sasuke the same way she had always done with Naruto when he took things too far. One day Sasuke actually thought to talk back but that was a big mistake,

"Your funeral," was all Naruto said, after Sasuke called her, "An annoying flat chested billboard brow,"

The next thing Sasuke knew he was buried under three small trees and some pieces of concrete. Even though Sasuke had left angry that day after having a good talk with Ino he actually began to appreciate this new side of Sakura. It was like having a mom again although that thought had caused Sasuke to actually breakdown in laughter for the first time in years, realizing what kind of situation Naruto had been in for the last month.

Naruto no longer needed to compete with Sasuke for Sakura's affection although he would still get a little jealous from time to time which would usually be resolved by Sakura having to pet the blonde's whiskered cheeks, a trick she had learned from Hinata. Kakashi noticed this new team dynamic and was very pleased but continued to train them in baby steps figuring they wouldn't be battling real shinobi for a long time.

* * *

March 15th, 64 AFL

It was a normal day like any other when Team 7 entered the Hokage's office in order to obtain their daily D-ranks missions, however a blonde hair knucklehead voiced his own opinions to the elderly man,

"No!, we want to go an a real mission were all sick of this baby crap you've been sending us on, please Oji-san," Sakura quickly backed up her blonde baka,

"Naruto's right we've been training really hard, please Oji-san," Sakura gave the Hokage her best puppy dog eyes. After learning about Naruto's relationship with Lord Third and more about the old man Sakura had started to see the old man as a grandfather herself and if she knew one thing, she knew how to get her parents to give her whatever she wanted and she applied the same trick to the Hokage, unfortunately he wasn't fazed.

Lord Third began explaining the different ninja missions and ranks but after his explanation was finished he fell face first, into his desk. The entire group including Kakashi had just ignored him and were having some talk discussing ramen. "Silence!" he screamed regaining their attention,

"Kami all you do is lecture me old man or have you forgotten who I am and who my parents were." Naruto took off his headband and held it out towards the Hokage,

"This means I'm a ninja now and we all deserve a true ninja mission, believe it!" Naruto stated with pride.

"Naruto's right were more than ready," Sasuke added, "Believe it, Cha!" Sakura nearly screamed and held her hands to her mouth realizing what she had just said and looked around the room to see if anyone caught her slip of the Uzumaki catchphrase. Nobody seemed too and the Hokage finally began laughing, after a while though he calmed down,

"Fine, I'll give you a C-rank that should satisfy you, you'll be bodyguards for that man right there." Team 7 looked where the Hokage was pointing and a man with a beer in his hand came through the door. "What a joke you're giving me kids" the drunkard stated but as quickly as he did three kunai rushed by his body missing his shoulders by inches and destroying his beer bottle in the process.

"Never mind meet me at your village gates in an hour," the drunkard left with an odd grin on his face that only Kakashi noticed but chose to say nothing. "Alright you heard the client, Dismissed!" the Hokage said. "Right!" the three genin replied and returned to their homes to gather the necessary supplies they would need for their first real ninja mission.

An hour later Naruto and Sasuke arrived at the village gates and saw that Kakashi, their client, Sakura, and Ino were standing there waiting for them. Naruto rushed over to Sakura and noticed what she was wearing, it was a white cloak with cherry blossoms on the bottom and sleeves, on her back was the Haruno clan symbol and overlaying that was the Uzumaki clan symbol.

"Wow Sakura-chan that looks really good on you, believe it!" he stated honestly causing her to blush and shove a roughly wrapped package into his hands, "Sorry, it's not wrapped properly, Ino and I just finished them last night," she giggled at his confused expression as he unwrapped it.

He saw Sakura had made him a cloak that matched the color scheme of his jumpsuit, it was primarily the same shade of blue as his jumpsuit but had the orange that he loved so much along the bottom in a pattern that resembled flames and had similar designs on his wrist with the Uzumaki symbol displayed proudly on his back. He quickly embraced his cherry blossom in a tight hug and pecked her forehead to which she could only blush redder for, "Thanks Sakura-chan this is amazing just like you are!"

Sasuke slowly made his way to Ino and noticed she didn't have a cloak on but was in her casual ninja attire. Ino also had a package similar to Sakura and Sasuke couldn't contain a small grin as he finally stood in front of her.

"Is this for me?" he asked her in sincerity. "Of course idiot," she replied and he just grinned a little more. Ino had slowly become feistier and was more eager to tease him which Sasuke was grateful for since it provided a sense of normality. She handed Sasuke the package which he then proceeded to slowly unwrap.

Ino had made him a black cloak with the Uchiha symbol displayed on his back, unlike Sakura and Naruto's that had designs that reflected their personalities Sasuke's had none and Ino figured he would prefer this design which he definitely did. He thanked her and that's when Team 7 heard the client's voice, "Alright brats my name is Tazuna were heading to my home, the Land of Waves, lets move out," and with that Team 7 finally exited the village for the first time for their first true ninja mission.

* * *

It was a few hours later Team 7 was deep in the woods when Naruto stepped in a lone puddle but thought nothing of it, Kakashi and Sasuke just looked at eachother but said nothing. It wasn't a few minutes later that the Uzumaki's started one of their classic arguments but this time Sakura had a trump card. She looked at her sensei while smirking,

"Kakashi-sensei there are no ninja in the Land of Waves are there?" Sakura asked him. "No there aren't," he replied flatly. "See told you Naruto there are only shinobi in the five great hidden villages which are in control by the Mizukage from the Land of Water, Raikage the Land of Lighting, Tsukikage Land of Earth, Kazekage Land of Wind, and our very own Hokage from the Land of Fire," Sakura stated proudly, she loved being the smart one.

Kakashi actually laughed "That was very good Sakura but there are other hidden villages that have shinobi they just don't have what we call Kage only the five great nations do because the Kage technically serve the Daimyo of their respective lands."

"Oh," was Sakura's lone comment she was wrong and now she felt bad for telling Naruto he was stupid but when he grabbed her hand for a few moments she looked into his eyes and they both shared a smile while continuing their journey there argument forgotten.

It was over before they knew what happened, Kakashi was in pieces on the ground and two chunin were right on top of them. Sakura moved to protect Tazuna while Naruto and Sasuke engaged the two in battle, it didn't take long but when one of the ninjas tried a sneak attack on Sakura, Naruto lept in the way and took a good slash to his right hand. Sasuke finished the shinobi he was fighting with a kick to the skull knocking him out, while Naruto ripped the chain that the enemy shinobi impaled into his hand to the ground and began pummeling the second ninja to a pulp for daring to attack his Sakura-chan. It was a good five minutes before Naruto finally stopped and Kakashi reappeared surprising his teammates.

"Sensei you're alive!" Naruto and Sakura said with relief as they both tried to embrace him in a hug but he moved out of the way causing the two Uzumaki's heads to collide in mid air.

"Tazuna it's about time you told us why there are enemy shinobi after you? Kakashi asked with malice, this is not what his team signed up for. Kakashi looked at Tazuna but when he never received a reply he turned to his team and was surprised to see Sakura treating Naruto's wound,

"Sakura, Where did you learn how to treat poisoned injuries?" he questioned. She looked up at her sensei and smiled, "The boys like to beat themselves to a bloody pulp at least once a week, so Ino and I decided to take up some basic first aid, where just lucky those guys were using a pretty common poison and I was able to figure it out," Sakura said with pride.

Kakashi looked at his team, they were ready and determined, Sasuke and Naruto had taken out those chunin like it was nothing, Sakura had protected the bridge builder and even treated Naruto's injuries after he protected her, "Is this pride," Kakashi thought. He couldn't cancel this mission not after they begged for it, not when they were ready and if things got really bad he could protect them, Kakashi was confident of that.

He looked at Tazuna again using his killing intent, "I'm not canceling this mission because I believe in them!" he pointed to his students who were too wrapped up in a new argument to even notice the two men.

"When we get to the Land of Waves you will tell us everything, got it," Kakashi said, lowering his killer intent a little and putting on what looked like an odd grin, if you could actually see his face.

"Got it," was Tazuna's simple reply as he gulped in a terrified expression. "Alright, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Lets move out!" Kakashi stated to the three teenagers, "Right!" they all responded and the group of five once again resumed their journey to the Land of Waves.

It wasn't long before Team 7 and Tazuna found there way to a small fishing boat with a man waiting for them, "You ready Tazuna?" he questioned. "Yea lets go, get on the boat everyone this is our ride." The four shinobi got inside the small vessel and there group slowly made their way into a dense fog. There were all thinking the same but Sakura was the one to voice their opinion,

"It's so foggy, I can barely see anything. Her teammates agreed with her as there captain began to speak up, "We should see the bridge soon, and just beyond that is the Land of Waves." Naruto looked and said aloud

"Wow that's an impressive bridge Tazuna-san!" but as soon as he did the captain gave him a death glare, "Shut up where trying to be sneaky, why do you think were using the fog as cover." Naruto looked down in disappointment and Sakura gave him what she now called a love tap to his cranium. Kakashi looked at Tazuna again in anger,

"Before we reach the shore, I want to know the whole story, I need to know why those ninjas were after you?" Kakashi asked him but when he received no response he added "If you don't tell us I'll be ending this mission once we reach the shore."

"Fine," Kakashi went to turn away from him but Tazuna finally spoke up,

"Wait, fine I'll tell you everything, you do deserve the truth after all. "The one who wants me dead is a short and ugly man who has cast an even uglier shadow over my country," Tazuna finally started explaining.

"What's his name?" Kakashi asked his anger starting to vanish albeit not fully.  
"He's one of the richest men in the world, I'm sure you've heard of him the trader known as Gato, the owner of Gato Transport," Tazuna finally answered.

Kakashi looked at him impassively and Tazuna just continued, "On the service he appears to be a legitimate businessman but the truth is he's cold blooded crook who will do whatever it takes to get his way, underneath his so called legitimate business he runs several illegal operations including drugs, women, and assassination requests using mercenaries and rogue ninja,"

Tazuna took a deep breath and continued once again. "It was one year ago when that bastard stuck his fangs into our land, using his wealth he took control of all trade on our small island nation and anyone who tried to stop him was killed or disappeared. Since Gato controls trade to the entire country, he by proxy controls all of our lives but if I finish the bridge I can break Gato's hold over our country and finally set us free,"  
Tazuna said finally finishing his tale.

"So what you're saying is you're a target because your the only thing standing in his way," Sakura said aloud, with Sasuke then adding, "So those two ninjas were hired by Gato to assassinate you." Kakashi looked at Tazuna his anger slightly returning,

"Why didn't you tell our village the truth, especially if you knew there would be shinobi sent after you, why did you hide this from us?" he asked the bridge builder. "Like I said Gato's been in control for a year now, none of us, not even the nobles have any money, we simply can't afford an A or B-ranked mission,"

Tazuna responded looking down in shame but quickly regained his composure and stared eye to eye with the jounin. "If you choose to abandon the mission when we reach the shore, I have little doubt that I'll be killed shortly after and the bridge will never be finished, and my people as well as my grandson will continue to suffer." Tazuna actually looked at Team 7 and laughed, "But that's not your problem know is it,"

Kakashi looked at him with sympathy and then looked at his team who had similar expressions on. He turned to face Tazuna again, "I guess it's unanimous we'll keep guarding you," Kakashi actually informed the bridge builder with a wary expression.

Eventually the group found their way under the bridge and came out on the other side and what they saw surprised them all. The fog was gone and it was as sunny as could be with several rundown buildings on the shoreline. The boat they were in came to a stop at a small wooden pier where they all disembarked.

Tazuna gave his thanks to the boat captain who simply informed him to be careful. He then turned to face the group of shinobi, "Alright, take me to my home," he stated and the group of shinobi with Tazuna included made their way down a trail that led into a small patch of woods.

It wasn't five minutes into their journey when the young blonde threw a kunai into a tree almost killing a small white rabbit in the process. Naruto ran up to the poor creature and tried to comfort it while Sakura came up to her baka and proceeded to give him another love tap for scaring her to death when she noticed the color of its fur. She knelt down and whispered into Naruto's ear,

"I think you may have been right Naruto, white rabbits don't exist is this region this time of year, it may have been used for a substitution," Sakura explained to him. Naruto nodded and both teens proceeded on their journey with a new sense of worry that someone was watching them.

That sense of worry would be validated when their entire group saw a massive sword coming towards forcing them to duck for cover. The group managed to regain their composure and that's when they saw him standing in a tree. He had gray skin, no eyebrows, and black hair, with a mask covering his mouth in his hand was that massive blade that almost split their group in two.

Kakashi looked at the man and recognized him instantly,

"Zabuza Momochi also known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist,"  
Kakashi started with an unreadable look on his face.


	6. The Land of Waves I - Zabuza vs Team 7

**Chapter 6: The Land of Waves I - Zabuza vs. Team 7**

* * *

March 15, 64 AFL

"Zabuza Momochi also known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist," Kakashi started with an unreadable expression on his face, "So what's a rogue ninja like you doing all the way out here Zabuza?"

When he received no reply Kakashi turned to his team and said, "All of you stay back you'll only be in the way." Naruto and Sasuke looked at him angrily but complied and Kakashi began to move his headband, slowly uncovering his left eye,

"If this guy is our opponent I'm gonna need this." Zabuza looked at Kakashi calmly and finally began to speak, "Kakashi of the Sharingan, would you mind handing me that old man?" Kakashi answered the rogue ninja calmly,

"All of you get in Manji formation and protect Tazuna, that is your mission, I'll handle him myself," finally placing his headband into his proper place and revealing his three tomoe sharingan eye. Zabuza actually began chuckling a little, "Too see the sharingan in action is a privilege but to face it in combat is a true honor!" he stated with a sick sense of joy.

Naruto couldn't help but question Sasuke, "I know a little bit about your eyes but what makes them so damn special?" Naruto inquired. Sasuke scowled at him a little but started explaining,

"The sharingan are my clan's kekkei genkai, with this unique dojutsu the user can comprehend and copy any ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu and reflect the attack right back at the opponent," Sasuke activated his own sharingan showing off his one tomoe right eye and the two tomoe's in his left.

"Oh, so that's how you always win your a cheater," Naruto said calmly with a foxy grin. Sasuke started giving Naruto a death glare but Sakura gave both boys a bonk to the head and nearly screamed, "Stop your bullshit and concentrate you baka's!" the boys complied and returned their attention to Kakashi and Zabuza.

Zabuza was waiting for them to finish before he said, "Not bad brat but you've only scratched the surface, the sharingan can go as far as to copy another person's entire fighting style if the user so wishes, as for you Kakashi you were in my bingo book too and you had a kill on sight order placed on your head, Kakashi of the Sharingan also known as the man who knows a thousand jutsu,

"Kakashi the Copy Ninja," Zabuza finally finished. Naruto and Sakura looked at Kakashi with a new sense of pride but Sasuke was scowling at him. Kakashi noticed and said to the last Uchiha,

"I'll explain the story behind this eye later Sasuke, for now help Naruto and Sakura protect the bridge builder!" Sasuke huffed but did as he was told. Zabuza was done playing talk no-jutsu with Kakashi and said, "Ok that was fun but I have a job to finish, time to kill the old man!"

* * *

Team 7 tightened their defenses around the bridge builder but Zabuza actually moved away from them and landed on a large body of water. He held one hand in the air and one by his face as he began to mold his chakra, he formed the signs for Ox, Snake, and Ram. The water began to swirl around his body and an impenetrable mist started to form around them,

"**Water Style - Hidden Mist Jutsu!**"

As soon as Zabuza activated his jutsu he vanished from view. "He'll be targeting me first," Kakashi stated calmly, "Sensei who is that guy?" Sakura asked him, she was terrified and in her mind the more information she had about her opponent the safer she would be. "Zabuza Momochi, ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit, one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, and master of the silent killing technique," Kakashi explained.

"Silent Killing?" Sakura and Naruto questioned him, "Yes, he uses this jutsu to attack unseen without sound or any warning of any kind. It's so bad that if you lose concentration even for a second you'll be dead before you realize it and even worse my sharingan isn't powerful enough to see through mist this dense," Kakashi replied honestly, "So don't lower your defenses even for a second!" Kakashi then sighed a little, "Well if we fail we only lose our lives," he stated nonchalantly, "Sensei!" Sakura said enraged at Kakashi's comment and made a mental note to give him a very good, "Love Tap," to his head when this was over.

The mist began to grow thicker as Naruto commented on it Tazuna explained, "I told you the Land of Waves is an island nation, he has all the water he could possibly want for his dirty tricks." The mist grew so thick that Team 7 lost view of their sensei which terrified them but they remained steadfast in their formation hoping against hope that Kakashi would take the rogue ninja down with little difficulty. That hope was crushed however when the group of teens heard Zabuza's demonic voice,

"Eight points, larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, and the heart, now which one would you all like to be your kill point," the jouin stated coldly. Kakashi immediately flared his chakra dispersing some of the mist around himself and his team. His team was not looking good, they were all scared, Kakashi could see that, he had to reassure them somehow, he spoke the first words that came to his mind,

"Stay calm you three, I'll protect you with my life, all of you! I will not allow my allow my comrades to die, trust me," he winked at them and turned to face the bulk of the mist again desperately trying to locate Zabuza with his sharingan. His three students calmed down and once again readied themselves for anything to come.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Kakashi!" Kakashi turned around and there was Zabuza directly in front of the bridge builder. He had slipped by the genin through the mist and his sword was within inches of the old man's throat as he screamed sadistically, "It's over!"

Kakashi intercepted the blade with one of his kunai as his free hand spun around and stabbed Zabuza in the side with another but the rogue ninja just dissolved into a pool of water,

"Water clone!" Kakashi stated in shock as Zabuza appeared behind him and sliced him in half from top to bottom. Zabuza thought he had won but when he saw water and not blood he knew what Kakashi had done unfortunately for him now there was a kunai to his neck, "Now it's Over!"

* * *

"Your finished Zabuza," Kakashi stated with confidence but what surprised him was that Zabuza was actually laughing. "You really think I'm beat, your techniques are just a mere imitation of my own and I assure you I will never be defeated by a pathetic copy cat like you," Zabuza continued to chuckle,

"I will give you credit though, you had already copied my water clone jutsu when you made your crappy little speech, skillful using your clone to draw my attention, while you played my game and hid in the mist waiting for me to strike, well done, but I'm not that easy!"

Zabuza suddenly dissolved into nothing but water, Kakashi looked around frantically for Zabuza but it was Naruto who found him first, "Sensei he's behind you!" Naruto screamed trying to warn his sensei of the danger. Kakashi turned around and he and Zabuza traded several blows with fist meeting flesh and steel meeting steel until finally Zabuza hit Kakashi with a good kick to the midsection knocking him into the air towards the direction of that body of water that Zabuza had used for his Hidden Mist Jutsu. Zabuza grabbed his sword and charged towards the direction Kakashi had flown but stopped as he noticed several sharp items on the ground, "I thought you were better than that Kakashi trying to slow me down won't work," Zabuza stated annoyed and jumped in the water after Kakashi.

Kakashi slowly rose to the surface and the first thing he noticed was the density of the water, "This isn't normal water, it's heavy, shit!" Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and waved several quick and fluid hand signs,

"**Water Style - Water Prison Jutsu!**" Zabuza screamed and as he did Kakashi was surrounded by a thick sphere of water that was stronger than steel. Zabuza began laughing, "Pathetic, so much for the great Kakashi master of over a thousand jutsu, now I think it's time I let you watch my clone slaughter your students!" Zabuza stated coldly.

"**Water Style - Water Clone Jutsu!**" Zabuza made another water clone and began mocking the terrified genin, "You think those headbands make you ninja, true ninja have seen life and death countless times. If your profiles ever get placed into my bingo book then maybe you will be close to being true ninja but you three, you're a joke and a disgrace to the name shinobi!" Zabuza stated.

As soon as the rogue ninja finished his clone appeared directly in front of Naruto, before the young ninja could do a thing he felt Zabuza's foot in his face as he flew back several feet losing his headband in the process. "Just little fucking brats!" Zabuza screamed as he proceeded to stomp Naruto's prized headband into the dirt.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura screamed in worry, she rarely added the -kun suffix, usually when he made her very happy she would grant him that reward but in times like theses it tended to slip out. Kakashi analyzed the situation and voiced his opinions with great worry for his team,

"Take Tazuna and run! I can't escape this prison but his clone can't wander far from his real body, Now run!" Kakashi repeated himself. 'Running was lost as an option as soon as you got caught,' Sasuke thought, 'No matter where we go he'll track us down and kill us all. Manji formation is a joke and even with Sakura and Naruto were still screwed. Our only chance is to rescue you,' Sasuke finalized. Sasuke started charging Zabuza throwing several kunai and shuriken in an attempt to get in close, as he did he lept into the air and tried to strike the jonin with same move that had knocked out the chunin earlier, a hard kick to the head but Zabuza dodged and grabbed Sasuke by his throat. Zabuza chucked him back toward the rest of his team, he wasn't injured but was a little shaken as both of his teammates cried out in concern,

"Sasuke!" "I'm fine dobes," Sasuke stated as he rose from his feet and tried to figure out what the hell to do.

Naruto turned his gaze to Zabuza and wore a terrified expression as one idea came to mind, 'I have to get Sakura-chan and get the hell out of here, if I don't he'll seriously kill us both,' he thought but as he put his right hand to the ground he felt a sharp pain run through his body. Naruto looked at his bandaged hand and directed his gaze over to Sakura, and then Sasuke, and finally Kakashi, remembering his promises to Hinata and Sakura as well as his sensei's words from a few minutes before he finally regained his composure.

'No, I'm a ninja and the son of the Fourth Hokage, believe it! I promised myself that I would protect Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan no matter what pain I had to go through and I refuse to give up now!' Naruto thought to himself and after looking at Zabuza for a moment he charged him full force.

"Naruto, No!" Kakashi stated in shock at the blonde ninja's actions. "Naruto-kun what the hell do you think your doing?" Sakura cried out in confusion as Naruto got closer to the enemy nin, Zabuza just muttered, "Damn fool," and once again kicked Naruto in the face sending him a good thirty feet back as he skidded on the ground.

Sakura instinctively yelled at her blonde baka, "Naruto what the fuck were you thinking, were only genin none of us can beat him alone and I will not be widowed at thirteen, you damn baka!" Sakura growled but as Naruto slowly got to his feet she saw he was holding his headband and she realized,

'He risked his life for his headband, I hate to admit it but that was kinda…' 'Kinda Hot!' inner Sakura finished for her while licking her lips. Sakura tried to suppress a blush and she looked at Naruto again and he started to speak,

"Hey freak with no eyebrows, put this in your crappy book.  
The shinobi who will become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!"  
Naruto tied his headband tight to his forehead,  
"He never backs down,  
He protects his loved ones with his very life,  
and his name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto stated with a new sense of conviction.

* * *

Naruto turned to Sasuke, "Your listening right teme cuz I have a plan," the blonde spoke to his friend and rival in confidence. Sasuke smirked, "Oh so know your ready for teamwork huh dobe," he replied nonchalantly.

While the boys discussed their plan Sakura was caught in a daze by her baka's actions  
'What is this feeling? I've never felt this way before, Naruto's so determined, am I?  
Am I finally starting to truly fall for him?' the pink haired teen questioned.  
Sakura was finally brought out of her stupor by Naruto's words,

"Ok Sasuke let's bring this ugly bastard down!" Zabuza began chuckling coldly, "Brave words brat but any plan you make will result in your death, I assure you of that," Kakashi heard Naruto and Zabuza from his prison and couldn't believe what he was hearing,

"What the fuck did I just say?" Kakashi screamed from inside his prison,

"This battle was over the second I got caught, listen take Tazuna and run, I can't escape this prison but his clone can't move far from his real body so run!"

Kakashi cried out almost like he was in pain. Naruto and Sasuke looked at Tazuna who just sighed at made eye contact with the two boys,

"This is my fault so don't worry about me just do everything within your power to save your sensei," he finally said.

Sasuke smirked and Naruto smiled as the two genin turned to face the legendary demon,  
"Alright you heard him," Sasuke said and Naruto replied, "Yea we'll put him in his place believe it!" Zabuza broke down in a fit of laughter, "Still pretending to be a ninja, when I was your age my body count was in the hundreds!" he continued laughing sadistically. Team 7 were a little shaken by the rogue ninja's boast but they retained their composure until Kakashi and Zabuza began elaborating further,

"Zabuza the Demon," was all Kakashi said before Zabuza spoke up, "So I really was in your book, I'm flattered," he informed Kakashi calmly. Kakashi began to explain to his team how truly sick and sadistic an opponent Zabuza was, "Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist also known as Blood Mist Village before a student could become a ninja there was one final barbaric test!" Kakashi said with disgust in his voice. "Oh so you've heard of the final graduation exam as well have you!" Zabuza began laughing again and it finally pissed Naruto off.

"What's the big deal, we had a pretty tough final exam too and we barely passed," Naruto stated honestly albeit angrily. Zabuza stopped laughing immediately and gave the young blonde an unsettling look, "Did you have to murder the other students to pass?" he began laughing again, "Imagine it in your village, all of the bonds and friendships you built over the years, all torn away in a single day by either being murdered or murdering one of your best friends!"

Zabuza finished calmly and Kakashi began once again, "Ten years ago the final exam was permanently changed because one year prior pure evil infected the school with terror," Kakashi said. Sakura was frightened and couldn't stop herself from asking, "What terror? What evil?" the young girl asked them in worry. Kakashi looked her way and said, "Without any warning of any kind, a young boy who wasn't even enrolled approached the school and massacred over a hundred other students!" Kakashi finished his explanation and Team 7 looked at the demon who was just standing their with an odd expression on his face.

"It, It felt so…, so good!" Zabuza screamed in joy scaring the crap out of Sasuke and Naruto and forcing them to let down their guard. Zabuza's water clone was on them in seconds, he gave Sasuke a hard elbow to the stomach knocking him to the ground. The jounin wasn't going to give Sasuke a chance to recover as he slammed his elbow once again into Sasuke's midsection causing him to spit up blood.

"Sasuke!" both Uzumaki's screamed in worry as Zabuza started stomping Sasuke's chest in with his foot. Naruto growled out in anger "Enough, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he cried and within the next few seconds at least thirty Naruto clone's appeared on the battlefield. Zabuza stepped a few feet away from Sasuke and gripped his sword,

"Not bad kid shadow clones and quite a few of them too this should be fun," the demon stated. The group of thirty Naruto's attacked him all at once but not even one clone landed a good a hit as Zabuza proceeded to saw through them like butter with his massive blade. Zabuza finally landed a kick on the real Naruto sending him back at least twenty feet but as he flew through the air he took something out of his bag and tossed it to the last Uchiha,

"Were not done yet, believe it, we've still got this!" Naruto stated as he threw the unknown weapon to his best friend, "Sasuke think fast!"

Sasuke did just that catching the weapon with ease he noticed something odd about it and smirked, "Not bad Naruto," Sasuke thought. Sasuke finally revealed the weapon to be a demon wind shuriken, a large, four-bladed shuriken originally made famous by the Fuma clan. Sasuke looked at Zabuza with that sadistic grin he rarely let anyone see,

"**Demon Wind Shuriken - Windmill of Shadows!**" he screamed as he leaped into the air and threw the demon wind shuriken with all of his Uchiha might. It whizzed by Zabuza's clone and headed straight for the real Zabuza and Kakashi who was still trapped in the Water Prison Jutsu. It came within a few feet of Zabuza's face as he smirked,

"Smart but not smart enough!" he stated as he caught the large shuriken with his free hand. Zabuza quickly grinned but looked up and was startled,

"A second shuriken in the shadow of the first, the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Zabuza thought. He reacted quickly jumping high enough to avoid the shuriken but low enough to keep one hand in the water prison. "Pathetic!" Zabuza screamed but as he did, he heard a poof a smoke and behind him he saw the number one knucklehead ninja himself.

Naruto quickly threw a kunai and Zabuza had no room to dodge and was finally forced to break the water prison jutsu. Zabuza turned to Naruto with pure hatred in his eyes as he spun the demon wind shuriken that he had caught in his hands,

"Die!" Zabuza screamed as he tried to throw the large weapon at the young boy but the blade met the metal on Kakashi's wrist. Kakashi looked at Zabuza with pure rage, his killer intent rising to new levels as he stared Zabuza down with his sharingan.

Sakura was ecstatic that Naruto's plan had saved them as she let out screams of joy, "Sensei your safe, Naruto-kun's plan actually worked, believe it!" Sakura covered her mouth and looked around oddly again.

Tazuna gave her a puzzled look but didn't comment. Naruto finally emerged from the water and Kakashi praised his brilliant strategist of a student,

"Well done Naruto that was an excellent plan, to out smart a jonin like that, very impressive and you too Sasuke your teamwork was flawless, I'm very proud of you," Kakashi stated.

"Well of course!" Naruto began, "Sakura-chan was right there was no way any of us could have taken him down by ourselves so I transformed into the demon wind shuriken and when I threw it to Sasuke-teme it looked like a real shuriken. When Sasuke grabbed me he could tell it was me instantly and he spun around quickly pulling out his own demon wind shuriken. Now there were two shuriken, a real one and me so when Sasuke threw the first one, I hid in the shadow of the second and you know the rest. I had no idea that breaking up his prison would piss away his water clone though that was a bonus, believe it!"

Sakura looked at the two boys affectionately, 'They give one hell of a show when they fight each other but when they work together there teamwork is unstoppable, cha!' Sakura thought. Zabuza scoffed,

"You got lucky brats but it won't happen again, I just got careless," Kakashi looked at Zabuza with malice, "You weren't careless they forced you to let go, Kakashi started, "You got me with that trick once but it won't happen again,"

* * *

Zabuza smirked and tried striking Kakashi with the demon wind shuriken once again but Kakashi managed to deflect it far off into the distance. Both men jumped away from each other and Kakashi began to use the true power of his sharingan eye. Zabuza began running through several hand signs at a breakneck pace but Kakashi soon followed making the exact same signs,

"**Water Style - Water Dragon Jutsu!**" both men screamed and after they did two dragons made of water that were at least five times the size of the two jonin rose up out of the body of water they were standing on and ferociously engaged each other in battle. The two dragons created such a force that Naruto was knocked back to shore alongside his team and Tazuna who were now drenched from head to toe. As the water died down the two men engaged in combat once again only stopping when Zabuza's powerful sword met Kakashi's steadfast kunai.

"Somethings going on here, why did both of our jutsu's occur simultaneously? Does that bastard have me trapped in some sort of genjutsu?!" Zabuza thought angrily. The two men backed away from each other again and slowly began circling the other, they began forming the same signs once again, "Can he read my mind as well?" Zabuza thought.

"Your just a copycat Kakashi nothing more than a monkey!" Zabuza stated, "I won't be defeated by cheap tricks, I'll kill you!" both men said in unison shocking Zabuza but what actually scared him was the ghostly image of himself behind Kakashi, "Why am I over there, what is this bastard doing? Zabuza thought.

"**Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!**" Kakashi suddenly screamed knocking Zabuza out of his state of confusion. A giant vortex of water formed in front of Kakashi and it suddenly slammed into Zabuza with full force burying the jonin in the vortex of rapidly moving water.

"What is he doing? I was just about to use that jutsu damn him he copies my techniques before I can even use them!" Zabuza thought in anger.

The vortex launched Zabuza through several trees with its amazing power finally slamming him into one as the justu's power finally died down. Kakashi threw several kunai into Zabuza's body but none of the wounds were lethal, it mattered little though. Zabuza was beat and completely out of chakra for all intents and purposes it was over.

Kakashi walked up to Zabuza and simply said "Like I said before your finished Zabuza," Zabuza coughed up some water and asked, "How? Can you see into the future?" the rogue shinobi questioned,

"Yes and this is your last battle!" Kakashi stated as he raised a kunai. As Kakashi went for the kill two senbon needles flew through the air at high speed and struck Zabuza in the neck killing him instantly.

Kakashi looked for the source of the attack and saw a young man standing in the tree above Zabuza. He was wearing a mist tracker mask and a standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit which stopped at his knees. Over that he was wearing a green haori with white trimmings, and around his waist was a brown sash with a fringed trail wrapped around his waist.

The unknown ninja laughed, "You were right it was his last battle," he stated simply. Naruto looked at the unknown man with malice as Kakashi went to go check Zabuza's vitals. Sure enough for all intents and purposes Zabuza was dead, Kakashi looked at the unknown shinobi and found him bowing to him,

"Thank you for helping me with Zabuza, I've been hunting him for a long time, waiting patiently for an opportunity like this to finally kill him and end his madness," the unknown shinobi explained.

"From your mask I'm guessing you're a tracker from the Mist village, am I right?" Kakashi questioned. "Well done you live up to your reputation Kakashi of the Sharingan " the tracker nin stated.

"Ah tracker what's that?" Naruto decided to direct his question to his Sakura-chan. She sighed and started to explain, "When a ninja goes rogue his village will usually send tracker nin to eliminate the shinobi in question because a shinobi's body is covered in their village's secrets and they can't just let anyone find those out, you know Naruto-baka," she gave him a bonk for skipping classes in their younger days and then kissed his cheek. Naruto turned to Sakura blushing and asked her,

"What was that for Sakura-chan? She giggled. "For coming up with the plan that saved our lives baka, Sakura, answered him. "

You're very smart little one yes I am a tracker from the Village Hidden in the Mist and I am charged with the elimination of the traitor Zabuza Momichi," the tracker nin stated calmly. Naruto gazed over at Zabuza's corpse and his anger returned, he ran up to the tracker nin and scowled at him, "Ok who the hell do you think you are?" Naruto questioned the man in anger,

"Easy Naruto he's not our enemy," Kakashi tried reasoning with the young ninja. Naruto turned and actually turned his scowl on Kakashi, "That's not what I'm trying to say, I mean did you see what he just did, he killed Zabuza like it was nothing, Zabuza was a literal monster, a demon and this kid who's no older than me just killed him in one attack! Tell me sensei what the hell does that make us, were nothing, a joke just brats like Zabuza said we were, how can you expect me to accept that!"

Naruto screamed at his sensei. Kakashi looked at him sympathetically before stating, "Naruto you don't have to accept it but it doesn't change the fact that it did happen ok," he put his hand in the blonde's hair and ruffled it a bit before saying, "The truth is Naruto there are children in this world that are younger than you and yet far stronger than me," Kakashi stated calmly. Sasuke glared at Kakashi's words and thought, 'I have to get stronger, damn it!'

Naruto gave Kakashi a look of indifference and then turned his head to glare at the tracker ninja once again as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves and reappeared next to Zabuza's body. He picked up Zabuza and looked at Kakashi, "I have to go now this body holds many secrets and I have to dispose of it," he said calmly and with that he disappeared with Zabuza in another swirl of leaves.

Naruto walked a few steps in vain in order to pursue the tracker nin but stopped realizing it was pointless and just dropped to the ground in anger and began pummeling it,

"Damn it, Damn it, Damn it!, Were nothing a joke, just brats, I can't believe it!" he said in anger.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura whispered in concern normally she would've of tried to comfort him but she had never seen him like this before. After a while Kakashi finally pulled Naruto to his feet,

"Enough Naruto deal with it as a shinobi your going to see a lot of things that are for the lack of a better term unpleasant but we deal with it and move on, now come on let's go, save your rage for your next opponent," Kakashi finally finished and Sakura ran up and hugged Naruto from the back. He looked over his shoulder and smiled, she blushed and asked,

"Feel better already?" "Whenever you're holding me I couldn't be happier," he answered honestly, she blushed brighter but simply replied with, "I know." She released him and he gave her a confused look at her reply but she told him not to worry.

"Alright, if you two are done playing house we can get a move on!" Kakashi stated and as he turned to walk down the trail the jonin went wide eyed and passed out.

"What happened Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked her, Sakura rushed to Kakashi's side as she answered,

"I think it's just chakra exhaustion but we need to get him somewhere safe so I can diagnose him properly, Sasuke carry Kakashi while Naruto carries Tazuna we'll go much faster that way!" she half ordered half explained to the two teenage boys.

Naruto compiled at once and lifted Tazuna onto his shoulders, "Alright Tazuna-san, point the way," Naruto said laughing as he started sprinting full speed down the trail towards Tazuna's place. "Baka," Sakura smiled at turned to Sasuke who just ignored her orders, Sakura sighed before ripping Sasuke by his collar,

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura started sweetly, "You can pick up Kakashi sensei right now and carry him to Tazuna's or...," she eyed his pants and then made eye contact with him while continuing to hold onto his collar,

"Or I can remove one of your dreams from existence right now which do you prefer!" she yelled out angrily before letting him go. Needless to say Sasuke quickly complied and soon all five of them finally made their way to Tazuna's house.

* * *

**AN: Not much really changes with this arc the fight remains the same team 7 is still far too weak to poise any challenge to Zabuza at this point so Kakashi will still be the big guns and the training and rematch with Zabuza will go simalarly to canon as well the chunin exams are where were going to start getting some fun changes and find out a few of the other rookie 9's soulmates althought I do expect this arc to eat at least 2 more chapters, the longest waiting period for an update should be about 2 weeks that being just so I get a lot of leeway they shouldn't ever take that long, Thank you for your kind reviews and words and I am sorry if this is way to close to canon for your liking but like I said before it will be a while before there are signifficant changes in the timeline.**


	7. The Land of Waves II - Similar Pain

**Chapter 7: The Land of Waves - Part II: Similar Pain**

* * *

March 16th, 64 AFL

The following day Kakashi finally awoke to the sounds of his teammates arguing,  
"Shut up dobe!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto, "Screw you teme you're just mad because I'm stronger than you, believe it!" Naruto argued back. "Will you two please just shut up!" Sakura growled at the two boys, "I'm glad to see your all getting along well," Kakashi said, effectively stopping their argument as Naruto and Sakura proceeded to swarm the jonin,

"Sensei, your awake, believe it!" Naruto cried out in happiness. "Take it easy sensei you overused your sharingan, I think, I doubt you'll be able to move for a little while at least," Sakura said in concern.

"Yeah I won't be able to move for at least a week I think," Kakashi replied to her and then frowned remembering yesterday's battle with Zabuza and that odd boy who had appeared and apparently finished him off. A thought struck Kakashi and he had to voice it at once, "Listen carefully you three!" The genin turned to face their sensei who had suddenly gotten very serious.

"I think Zabuza's alive," he finally stated calmly. "What but how?" Sakura asked in concern, "Sakura what do tracker nin usually do when they get their target?"

Kakashi questioned back and Sakura thought about it a bit before replying, "They're supposed to dispose of the body in the exact same place the assassination took place," she said aloud and then finished with, "but I thought he decided to move Zabuza's body because we were all standing right there."

"Not likely he would have waited for us to move on and then there's the weapons he used for the kill," Kakashi replied, "Senbon needles," Sasuke stated,

"Right Sasuke, those weapons are never used for killing an opponent but they do come quite in handy when you want to put someone in a state that makes them appear to be dead," Kakashi finished as Tazuna entered the room,"So that bastards still alive then is what your saying,"

"Yeah, that's right," Kakashi replied. The two boys smirked while Sakura looked at her sensei with concern, "But you checked his vitals right?" she questioned. "Yes I did, his heart had stopped but like I said before senbon can be used to put a person into a state of near death, easily stopping the heart and making a person seem like a corpse.

Naruto started chuckling "So the ugly bastard is alive, believe it!" the blonde stated. Kakashi actually smirked, "So he wants a rematch," the jonin thought. "Ok you three time for some training," he said. "Right sensei you rest up and we'll get strong enough to beat him, believe it!" As Team 7's conversation finished a young boy with black hair came into the room.

"Please what good are any of you, there's nothing you can do, you might as well just go home and quit wasting all of our time!" the young boy yelled at the team of ninja.

"There you are Inari I was wondering where you were," Tazuna said as the boy went to give his grandfather a hug. He looked at the team of ninja and then back to his grandfather,

"All of these people are going to be killed by Gato!" the young boy said with a bit of malice in his voice, "They look like a joke." Naruto looked at Inari with a determined expression,

"Kid you're looking at the hero and future Hokage of the Leaf, so Gato or anyone else for that matter who messes with us is gonna regret it, believe it!" the baka stated proudly causing Inari to burst out laughter,

"A hero like I said before your a joke," Inari stated coldly. "What the hell did you just say brat!" Naruto looked at the young boy with disdain but before he could do anything to him Sakura started petting his whiskered cheeks and he quickly calmed down,

'Man I've really got to thank Hinata that works so well, Cha!' Sakura thought to herself.  
Inari huffed and left his grandfather and Team 7 alone to gather their thoughts.

Naruto made his way to the bathroom a few minutes later but stopped when he heard the sound of Inari crying in his bedroom. Naruto peeked in the door and saw the young boy crying over a photo of a large tan skinned man strapped from head to toe with fishing gear,

"Damn you dad why did you have to die?" Inari questioned through his sobs "So you too huh, I'm sorry Inari," Naruto whispered silently to himself as he shut the door and left the young boy alone to cry by himself.

* * *

March 17th, 64 AFL

The next day, Kakashi was on crutches as he took his students to a wooded area near Tazuna's house, "Alright you three start climbing," the jonin said. Naruto started his way up but Kakashi intervened, "No hands Naruto, Infuse your chakra to the bottom of your feet but be careful, too much and you'll be repelled from the tree, too little and you'll lose your grip, this is an exercise in chakra control known as tree climbing," the jonin smirked.

Naruto and Sasuke started trying, Sasuke was able to get around the lowest branches while Naruto barely got a few feet from the ground. Sakura on the other hand was already on top one of the highest branches,

"Look who's the winner boys," Sakura teased them as they both started to scowl a little but Naruto's vanished instantaneously, "I told you Sakura-chan I always knew you were amazing, believe it!" Sakura blushed,

"Thank you Naruto but I have so little chakra that's it's really easy to control it but you and Sasuke are like bottomless pits so it makes sense it would be hard for you two," Sasuke scowl vanished,

"Why don't you both give us some advice then Sakura?" Sakura walked down the tree and gave the boys the best advice she could manage and that's when Kakashi spoke up,

"Alright Sakura since you've apparently already mastered tree climbing you'll be watching Tazuna while the boys train, Oh and make sure to mark your progress using a kunai you two, Ok," the jonin said.

"Got it sensei," Sakura said with conviction. "Alright let's head back to Tazuna and let him know he can go to the bridge, train hard and be careful you two," Kakashi stated cooly as he and Sakura departed.

* * *

Meanwhile in a location just a few miles from Team 7, the demon Zabuza Momochi was being treated by the tracker nin who had apparently saved his life.

"Rest Zabuza it'll be at least a week before you can move and probably another before you get back to full strength, the tracker nin stated sympathetically.

"Shut it Haku I know," he replied flatly, "And the next time I see Kakashi he won't be tricking me with that damn sharingan again!" the demon stated angrily.

"Well, well, well the demon of the mist got chased home like some sort of frightened child," a short man with glass and an incredibly ugly face made his presence known.

"Fuck you Gato, you'll get your order fulfilled!" Zabuza barked. "Listen here you scum," Gato went up to Zabuza but Haku grabbed him and threw him back almost breaking the short ugly mans hand in the process,

"If you lay one hand on him, I'll kill you," Haku said with a sadistic expression on his face. Gato looked at Haku terrified for a moment but regained his composure, "Fine just don't fail me again otherwise I'll be sending assassins after you two instead," Gato said and left the two rogue shinobi alone. "Rest Zabuza we can't kill Gato yet but we will slaughter them all eventually," Haku stated with an oddly calm voice.

* * *

Meanwhile Tazuna and Sakura made their way through the small fishing village, Sakura couldn't help but notice how poor and sickly the villagers looked. Many where in nothing more than rags and everyone was begging for food, the homes and stores they passed were in shambles and the stores had ridiculously inflated prices. She looked at her feet to try to hide her tears of sadness and pity when she felt something touch her but,

"Pervert!" she screamed but when she turned around to see a little blonde haired boy she was immediately reminded of her baka.

"Can you... Can you please spare some ryo or some food please?" the young boy asked. Sakura smiled, "Of course," she gave the boy some ryo and he ran away happily.  
"That was very kind of you pinky," Tazuna said honestly. Sakura looked at Tazuna with a vein on her forehead as she replied,

"Your country isn't the only one where people are treated harshly, you know.  
Naruto-baka had a similar life growing up and I hate to see anyone else have to go through what he went through." "You seem to care a lot about that brat," Tazuna laughed.

"Are you two married or something?" the old man asked in curiosity. Sakura actually chuckled a little, "Yea you could say that," the kunochi replied as they finally made their way to the unfinished bridge. Tazuna looked at her oddly but didn't pursue it any farther, he had a bridge to build after all.

* * *

March 22nd, 64 AFL

A week after Kakashi's battle with Zabuza the man with over a thousand jutsu was finally able to walk without crutches although Sakura informed him that she didn't think he would be back to full strength for at least another week. Unbeknownst to them Haku was making the same diagnoses with Zabuza,

"Zabuza-sama we should be ready to massacre them all in just a few more days," the boy said with a smile on his face. "Yes Haku one more week and we'll have all the fun in the world!" Zabuza laughed menacingly.

Meanwhile the entirety of Team 7 was sitting down for dinner with Tazuna and his family, Kakashi and Sakura were eating like respected guest but Naruto had forgotten his manners in an attempt to out eat his rival.

However this resulted in the two boys losing their meal and Sakura going ballistic,  
"Stop eating if all you're going to do is puke it back up, you know!" Sakura screamed.

Naruto looked at Sakura and whined, "But Sakura-chan…" he stopped himself seeing her death glare and Sasuke just huffed.

The last Uchiha was slowly learning not to talk back to the angry pinkett at this point. Sakura huffed herself and went to put her dishes in the wash but stopped when she saw a torn photograph, "Why is this picture torn?" she said more to herself than anyone else. Tazuna heard her though and answered,

"That was Inari's father, at one time he was considered the hero of this land," the old drunk finished and as soon as hid did Inari got out of his chair ran to his room and slammed the door.

"What happened Sakura questioned?" she knew the story between Naruto and his parents and couldn't help but wonder if the little boy was going through similar pains.

"Yeah it might help us understand him a little better, believe it! Naruto stated with an odd expression on his face. Tazuna looked at Team 7 solemnly before he started,

"That man was not Inari's father by birth but they were closer than any father and son could ever be and Inari was so happy back then," Tazuna sighed and looked to the ground but composed himself quickly and faced the shinobi once again,

"His name was Kaiza and he saved our land from one disaster after another but he was not a warrior his skills were of a different sort. He took it upon himself to protect the city and all of the people in it, One day there was a terrible storm and Kaiza risked his life to close the floodgates saving dozens of people as well as their homes and property. He was deemed a hero but when Gato came to town even he wasn't enough to stop the man."

Tazuna suddenly stopped and Kakashi was forced to ask, "What happened?" "Gato executed him in front of the entire town after cutting off his arms!" Tazuna cried out, "After that day Inari has never been the same, I fear I may have lost him forever," the old man finished.

Naruto got to his feet but Sakura stopped him, "I know what you're thinking that boy is just like you and your parents and you want to prove to him wrong but you can't do that if your dead, baka!" Sakura said to him.

Naruto looked at Sakura with a seriously determined expression which caused her to flush a little, "I will prove him wrong, there are real heroes and I'm going to prove it, believe it, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked at him sternly but let him pass through the door. She immediately ran to their shared room and ran back out carrying a pack full of medicines and foods,

"I'll make sure he's not dead by morning," she explained to Kakashi as she exited the small home to pursue the determined blonde baka.

* * *

March 28th, 64 AFL

It was a few days later when Sasuke and Naruto were finally within a few feet from the top of the trees. Sasuke had gone home early the night before but Naruto had passed out from a mix of chakra exhaustion and stress due to Sasuke reminding him of something very important. They had sat upon two high branches when Sasuke had asked him,

"So what did you get Sakura for her birthday Naruto?" the last Uchiha said while smirking. Naruto almost fell out of the tree in shock, "Crap! Crap! Crap! I completely forgot, what am I going to do Sasuke?" Naruto questioned his friend.

Unfortunately for Naruto Sasuke was little help other than laughing at him for his stupidity and promising not to tell Sakura. Naruto directed his anxiety for forgetting such an important day towards his training which was how Naruto awoke in the forest in the wee hours of the morning to what he assumed to be the face of a beautiful woman.

"You're going to freeze to death if you sleep on the ground," the person with long black hair and pale skin said to the young shinobi. Naruto sat up before replying,

"Wow your pretty but who are you?" The person smirked at him, "I'm just out picking some medicinal herbs for my friend see," the person waved the basket in front of Naruto's face showing off his collection of wild herbs.

"So if I may ask, what were you doing out here?" Naruto smiled, "I'm training, you know, I have to get a whole lot stronger so that I can protect the people I care about and to prove that real heroes to exist, believe it!" he stated proudly and continued, "And I need to become the strongest in my village so all of the people who treat me like trash have to look up to me and respect me!" the baka finished.

"Do you do this for yourself or are you doing this for someone else?" the person asked,

"Well if you had asked me a few months ago I probably would of said yup just me but after bonding with Iruka sensei and Kakashi sensei as well as having Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan in my life, I feel like I do it for them too because they believe in me, you know!" the blonde smiled and then remembered something,

"Hey do you know what a pretty girl like you would want on her birthday?" Naruto asked in a panic. The person laughed but replied, "There are plenty of wildflowers growing around here, I would pick a nice bouquet of those and make one of her favorite meals, then maybe use that training to set up a picnic above the trees and watch the stars tonight," the person smirked before walking away he looked back at the grinning boy, "By the way, I'm a boy," he stated before disappearing behind a few trees.

* * *

After recovering from the shock of the boys revelation Naruto returned to Tazuna's empty house and prepared a dish he knew Sakura would in enjoy and packed it deep behind the fridge not really thinking about the food shortages but he is a baka in a state of panic.

He then ran back to the woods and lucky for him somehow managed to find a wide variety of different wildflowers with a variety of different colors. He hid it away behind a tree where he would remember it later and returned to the training field meeting up with Sasuke. Sasuke smirked at him as Naruto walked up,

"Figure something out dobe, Sakura was angry you weren't back by breakfast, hope you have something good planned," Sasuke said. Naruto just smiled, "Don't worry, I got some good advice, believe it!" he said. Sasuke looked at him but just resumed his training, getting stronger was more important than the dobe's love life any day.

It was nearing dinner time when Sakura and Kakashi came to check on the two boys and were amazed by their progress, "Wow sensei look there almost to the top, believe it," Sakura said not even catching the use of the catchphrase at this point. Naruto and Sasuke suddenly dropped down in front of the two,

"Hey Sakura-chan happy birthday I hope you're ready for a fun night tonight!" the blonde said excitedly. Sakura blushed, she half expected him to forget, he was Naruto after all and it wasn't exactly a good time for a romantic date but she was flattered nonetheless,

"Thank you Naruto-kun I can't wait," she replied honestly while blushing a little.  
"Alright then come on let's go!" He grabbed Sakura's hand and guided her not dragged her back to Tazuna's and Sakura couldn't help but approve of his small changes in behavior as the two returned to Tazuna's with their two teammates following closely behind.

Naruto and Sakura returned to the house and before Tazuna and Inari could say anything Naruto was digging through their fridge for his premade dinner. Once he found it he guided Sakura out the door but not before turning to Tazuna and saying,

"Sorry Tazuna-san had to borrow some food but here's some ryo it should be enough to cover it," Naruto whipped out his trusty toad wallet and threw some ryo down on the table and the two genin made their way back to the forest.

As they departed Kakashi and Sasuke walked back into the house and Kakashi pulled Sasuke aside, "It's time I tell you how I got this eye Sasuke," he stated as he guided the young Uchiha to their shared bedroom. Once they both sat comfortably on the floor Kakashi started,

"When I was placed on my genin team, I was also placed with a boy named  
Obito Uchiha. Obito well… He was just like Naruto, same dream and everything. I was a little more like you cold, callose and not really willing to open up to anyone, and then there was Rin," Kakashi looked up fondly like he was trying to remember happier times before continuing, "She was just like Sakura, kind and loving to both of us," Kakashi said with affection. Sasuke looked at his sensei with a small amount of sympathy before he asked "What happened?"

Kakashi actually chuckled while shedding a single tear, "I killed them both."  
Sasuke looked at his sensei and actually moved a few feet back from Kakashi but the jonin did nothing and simply started explaining,

"We had a mission and Rin was kidnapped by enemy nin, I wanted to pursue the mission but Obito wanted to save Rin. We argued and Obito went in alone, eventually I got my shit together and followed him, we defeated the enemy nin but I lost my left eye and… and..." Kakashi tried spitting it out but nothing came.

Sasuke eventually had to ask again this time firmly, "What happened Kakashi sensei?" Kakashi looked at his student before starting again, "We were underground and enemy reinforcements arrived they decided to cause a cave in and because of my eye I was almost crushed but Obito threw me out of the way and his entire right side was crushed instead, before he died he entrusted this eye to me," Kakashi said as he removed his headband and showed Sasuke Obito's sharingan.

"Before Obito died he gave me this eye so I could protect Rin and see the world through his eye as well as fulfill his dreams," Kakashi finished. "What about Rin?" Sasuke asked, Kakashi looked up with a new tear forming but quickly whipped it away, "That's a story for another day Sasuke, now rest hopefully you and Naruto will master tree climbing by tomorrow," Kakashi replied. Sasuke did as instructed and went to sleep with a much better understanding of his sensei than ever before.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto and Sakura reached the place where Naruto had hidden his bouquet of flowers earlier, he quickly found them and presented them proudly to his Sakura-chan.

"Here Sakura-hime happy birthday, believe it!" Sakura was in shock there were some of the prettiest flowers in the five great nations assembled in Naruto's bouquet with camellia flowers, a mix of plum and peach blossoms, and assembled in the very middle were several beautiful cherry blossoms.

Sakura immediately squealed she didn't expect this so she kissed his cheek and thanked him but still poised the one question that was bothering her, "Um so where are we going to eat that meal Naruto-kun?"

He flashed her a foxy grin before pointing skyward and simply said,"Up."

"Up?" Sakura questioned, he gave her that look of utter love and devotion she had finally began letting effect her and he took her hand and without saying a word the two genin made their way to the top of the trees.

Once they found a good spot Naruto unpacked their meal and Sakura saw what Naruto had made, There was sushi, unagi, some onigiri but what really got her lips watering where the few dumplings packed inside. As Sakura looked at Naruto with a grin she saw a frown and wondered why,

"What's wrong Naruto-kun? Sakura asked. "It's just, I wish I could have gotten you more of your favorite things and I don't even have a present to give you," he replied sadly. Sakura smiled a bit, "He cares so much about me," the pinket thought. She quickly embraced him a hug and rubbed his cheek,

"It's ok Naruto-kun this has been one of the best nights of my life," she said honestly. He smiled back and they broke apart and finished here meal. They began gazing at the stars when Naruto asked her,

"Will you talk to Inari for me maybe tell him what you told me all those years ago?" Naruto questioned. Sakura sat up and looked at him in shock, "You remember that day, the day we met?" she asked. "Of course!" Naruto started,

"April 3rd seven years ago next week actually," Naruto smirked but when he saw Sakura face his look shifted to one of love and affection, "And that's the day  
I fell in love with you Sakura-hime, believe it!" he stated proudly.

Sakura shock turned to affection and some embarrassment as she lay back down and finally answered his original question, "I will I promise, believe it!" she giggled a little and said,

"You know, you would of had it a lot easier if you had saved me from bullies once in a while instead of it always being Sasuke," she smiled and intertwined her fingers into his.

Naruto looked away in fear for a moment but Sakura luckily missed it. He finally looked back at her fondly before turning his gaze to the stars, the two genin laid there for hours until Naruto heard Sakura's light breathing and realized she was asleep. He pecked her forehead before picking her up bridal style and descended the large tree using his chakra, finally carrying her back to Tazuna's.

* * *

March 29th, 64 AFL

The next day Sakura did talk to Inari and was able to get through to the boy a little considering he spent most of the morning crying into Sakura's arms and finally putting up a small smile.

Naruto and Sasuke returned to their training and by the end of they day they had reached the top, "Ready to go back dobe," Sasuke said while grinning a little.

"Yea lets head bac…" Naruto started but as soon as he did, he fell from a top the large tree completely unconscious from the lack of chakra and the long night with Sakura before. "Naruto!" Sasuke screamed as he flung himself towards the ground as fast as his Uchiha speed could carry him,

Right before Naruto hit the ground Sasuke caught him bridal style. Sasuke grinned at his friend and his impressive feat before he realized the position they were in and immediately dropped his comrade with a look of disgust on his face,

"Wake up dobe!" he nearly yelled. "Ow thanks for saving me but did you have to drop me too?" Naruto asked while rubbing his head.

"Sasuke smirked and said, "Lets go dobe," Naruto grinned and the two boys made their way back to Tazuna's after finally mastering tree climbing. That night they all had a peaceful dinner while Naruto explained his and Sasuke's mastery of tree climbing causing Sakura and Kakashi to smile,

"Alright then, according to Sakura I'm back to full health and you guys are done training so tomorrow all of us will guard Tazuna together," the copy nin stated with a small amount of pride.

"Right" the genin replied as they looked at each other with grins on there faces, little did they know that a few miles away a certain demon and his apprentice where getting ready for their attack,

"Tomorrow is the day Zabuza-sama," Haku stated with an odd look on his face.  
"Yes Haku, tomorrow we kill those Leaf scum and then the old man," Zabuza said coldly as he prepared himself for the upcoming battle.

* * *

March 30th, 64 AFL

"Just let him sleep he fell out of a tree yesterday," Sasuke said and was soon followed by Sakura, "He fell out of a tree and you didn't think to tell the team medic baka!" Sakura screeched. Sasuke huffed,

"I saved him I just meant he was exhausted and we might as well go on ahead," "Sasuke right we don't have time to waste," Kakashi said. Sakura huffed but had no choice but to comply as the tree shinobi and Tazuna made their way to the bridge.

What they saw when they got there made them sick, all of Tazuna's men had been murdered and from what Kakashi could tell he knew what made those wounds,

"Damn it he's back," Kakashi said. Within seconds Zabuza was swinging his sword directly at Tazuna's head but before the massive blade could make contact Sasuke plunged two kunai into Zabuza's sides.

Zabuza dissolved into a pool of water. "So Haku you finally have a rival if that brats improved enough to handle my water clones which contain about a tenth of my chakra," Zabuza laughed coldly. "Indeed Zabuza-sama he has improved,"

"So he was with Zabuza the whole time," Sakura pointed out the obvious.  
"Sakura protect Tazuna! Sasuke handle Haku until Naruto arrives to help you, don't try anything crazy remember what I told you the other day about only caring about yourself and not caring about your comrades, don't make my mistakes," Kakashi finally finished. Sasuke said nothing but nodded and got ready to face Haku as Kakashi was set to take down Zabuza.

Meanwhile the self proclaimed future Hokage awoke from his slumber to the sound of Inari's crying. Naruto quickly got to his feet and ran towards the boys screams of fear and quickly found Inari in the hands of two of Gato's mercenaries.

"Let him go or you'll regret it," Naruto said in anger. "What are you gonna do brat," the mercenary said all while holding his blade to Inari's neck. "This," Naruto replied calmly as two of his clones came from behind the two men knocking them out instantly.

Naruto picked Inari up into his arms as he comforted the boy, "Inari can you somewhere safe I think those ninja might have come back and I need to help my team protect your  
Oji-san," Naruto explained to the young boy.

Inari looked at Naruto and smiled, "Thank you Naruto, I'll go rally the villagers Gato's not going to get away with this anymore, believe it!" he said happily. Inari sprinted out the door to go gather the villagers and Naruto headed towards the direction of the bridge,

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Kakashi sensei, I'm coming to help, believe it! Naruto stated with conviction and determination.


	8. The Land of Waves III - Seals

**Chapter 8: The Land of Waves - Part III: Seals**

* * *

March 30th, 64 AFL

As Naruto made his way to the bridge Kakashi was getting ready for his rematch with the rogue nin Zabuza Momochi while Sasuke stared down his apprentice, the false tracker nin Haku.

"It's amazing Zabuza-sama, to have improved so much in such a short time," Haku stated remarking on Sasuke's improved skills thanks to his training.

"Yes Haku," Zabuza began, "Now… Go!" Haku suddenly appeared in front of Sasuke and tried stabbing him with his senbon needles but Sasuke deflected every blow easily with a kunai.

They finally stopped when both their weapons intercepted perfectly parrying the others attacks, 'He can keep up with Haku's speed, not bad,' Zabuza thought.

"I honestly don't want to kill you but your not going to give me a choice are you?" Haku questioned Sasuke sounding sad but Sasuke saw it as pity, he smirked,  
"Of course not, don't be a dobe," the Uchiha said with cockiness evident in his voice.

Haku started to reply, "Very well but you must realize you can't keep up this new speed of yours for long and even if that weren't the case I have at least two more advantages over you," Haku said calmly. "Two!" Sasuke replied while scowling.  
"Yes," Haku started,

"First when Zabuza killed those workers he scattered water all over the bridge, look around we're surrounded by it," Sasuke gazed around and noticed he was right but said nothing as he continued to scowl at his opponent, "And second one of your hands is useless while parrying this attack," Sasuke looked down and indeed if he moved his arm an inch Haku's senbon would pierce him. Sasuke looked at Haku again as he continued to speak, "Leaving you only one hand to defend yourself!" Haku finished calmly.

Haku quickly began running through several hand signs using only his left hand, Sasuke looked at Haku startled, 'He's trying to execute a jutsu with just one hand?  
Is that possible?' Sasuke thought. His question was answered once he heard Haku shout,

"**Sacred Art of Water - Thousand Flying Needle Jutsu!**"

Suddenly the water that was gathered around the two young shinobi slowly began to form into several sharp senbon and in the blink of an eye they all shot at Sasuke with such a speed that it caused an impact similar to small tidal wave. Just before this happened though Sasuke remembered his training and focused all of his chakra to the bottom of his feet and released it all at once causing the young Uchiha to fly high into the air dodging Haku's attack with mere seconds to spare.

Haku looked around frantically trying to locate his opponent, "Where the hell did he…" Haku started but suddenly he saw several kunai and shuriken flying towards him, 'Shit,' Haku thought as he was forced to retreat to the edge of the unfinished bridge. Haku blinked and Sasuke was behind him his sharingan active,  
"It's actually almost pathetic, your really slow," Sasuke said with a rare grin,

"Now get ready for my attack!" Sasuke tried slicing Haku's neck with a kunai but he dodged and tried a kick to Sasuke's torso but he was able to dodge as well.  
'He's very fast and very dangerous, I have to be careful,' Haku thought.  
Sasuke suddenly landed a kick to Haku's face and missing mist nin landed several feet back. Sasuke got into his signature Uchiha stance and smirked,

"Sorry I'm obviously faster than you dobe," Zabuza growled out in anger,  
"Haku how can you be losing to that brat!"

Kakashi began chuckling, "That's what you get for underestimating us, he may not look it but Sasuke was rookie of his year, Sakura is our extremely smart and gifted kunoichi," the Leaf jonin started, while Sakura started to grin from her sensei's praise,

'Damn right, believe it, cha!' she said more to herself than anyone else.  
"And Naruto is the number one most unpredictable knucklehead ninja in the Leaf!" Kakashi finally finished with pride.

Zabuza looked at Kakashi before turning to Haku, "Haku… will you please stop holding back otherwise you may actually be killed by that brat," the demon said calmly. Sasuke suddenly felt a chill go down his spine, 'Why is it so damn cold all of a sudden?' the last Uchiha wondered. Haku turned his gaze from Sasuke to Zabuza for a moment before looking back and putting his hands together,

"**Sacred Art of Water - Ice Crystal Magic Mirror Jutsu!**" Haku shouted. As soon as he did the water that had been surrounding the two boys formed into dozens of mirrors in the form of ice, all floating above the ground trapping Sasuke on all sides.

"I've never seen this jutsu," Kakashi commented while Sakura screeched, "Sasuke please be careful!" the pinket said worry evident on her face.

Suddenly Haku's body merged with the one of the mirrors of ice he had created and in the blink of an eye Haku's image resonated out of them all. Team 7 was astonished by Haku's impressive jutsu and it gave Zabuza an opening. He gripped his sword and tried taking Tazuna and Kakashi's heads off in one strike but Kakashi intercepted Zabuza's attack with his kunai. Both jonin stared at each other there chakra flaring and their killer intent rising,

"Have you forgotten Kakashi I'm your opponent," Zabuza said with ice in his voice. Sakura and Tazuna moved back a few feet before Zabuza started again, "We can have some fun while my apprentice slaughters yours," Zabuza chuckled. Kakashi flared his chakra to new heights as he replied with nothing but disdain in his voice, "First I'll deal with you, then if Sasuke is unable to finish him, I'll kill Haku myself," Kakashi finished with a dark look in his eye. Zabuza just continued to chuckle, "That's a bold claim Kakashi but I wonder if your student will even live long enough, just look,"

Kakashi turned his gaze to battle once again and what he saw shook him. Sasuke was looking around frantically trying to use his sharingan to locate the real Haku but he had never used his eyes in a real life or death battle before and never against someone this strong with such an odd jutsu. 'Damn him! What's his plan? What's with the mirrors?' Sasuke wondered but his thought process was suddenly interrupted by Haku,

"Now you'll see some real speed," Haku said calmly as he began throwing several senbon towards the last Uchiha. Thanks to Sasuke's sharingan he was able to dodge Haku's small barrage but Sasuke began to wonder, 'Why is he still holding back was he serious about not wanting to kill me?' Sasuke thought.

"Not bad but try this!" Haku nearly screamed interrupting Sasuke's thought process as at least a hundred senbon came his way. He was able to avoid the majority of them but he was still impaled multiple times in the arms and legs and even had one stuck in his right cheek but he had escaped serious harm. "Sasuke!" both Sakura and Kakashi screamed in worry, Kakashi went to help his student but was intercepted by Zabuza,

"Go ahead and kill Haku but just know by the time you do I'll have killed the old man and that useless pink haired whore standing next to him," Zabuza said, his voice filled with nothing but malice.

Sakura looked at Zabuza with venom in her eyes and then focused her gaze on Sasuke who by now had been forced to the ground and had over two dozen senbon impaled in his body,

"Tazuna-san I'm sorry but I have to help my comrades!" Sakura said with a newfound sense of confidence. She drew a kunai but as she went to throw it she suddenly saw dozens of kunai and shuriken rain down from the sky actually catching Haku in the shoulder before he could retreat into his mirrors. Sakura blinked and there he was standing right in front of her with that foxy grin on, "Naruto-kun!" Sakura cried out in relief and happiness at the sight of her baka,

"Naruto Uzumaki is here to kick your ass, believe it!"

* * *

'Well that was kind of a sneak attack' Kakashi thought, 'but what about Sasuke?' Kakashi's gaze returned to Haku's ice mirrors and he saw a Naruto clone trying to help Sasuke escape the perimeter of the ice mirrors. Unfortunately Haku quickly recovered from Naruto's previous attack,

"Damn you!" the rogue mist nin shouted as he chucked several senbon directly towards the two boys. Naruto's clone saw the attack and intercepted it with his body causing it to poof away. Sasuke composed himself before staring down the mirror the senbon originated from,

"**Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" the young Uchiha shouted trying desperately to destroy the mirrors. His jutsu forced Haku to move from one mirror to another as the raging blast of fire shattered the mirror. Sasuke thought angrily, 'My fireball jutsu is powerful enough to shatter one mirror maybe two if I angle it right but not all of them' Haku suddenly launched another wave of senbon in Sasuke's direction.

"**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted and as he did fifty other Naruto's poofed into existence. The clones along with himself charged into the perimeter of the mirrors full force in an effort to shield Sasuke from Haku's next deadly attack. Just as the round of senbon where about to reach Sasuke's body Naruto's clones jumped in the way intercepting every one and the real Naruto was standing in front of him,

"Need some help Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a grin. Sasuke put on a small grin of his own, "Sure dobe if you can keep up your clone jutsu I might be able to finally find the bastard," he replied. "Ok, **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Another fifty Naruto's appeared as Haku resumed his attacks,

"Look as hard as you want, you'll never figure out my secrets," Haku replied to the boy's strategy. Kakashi suddenly realized, "He has a kekkei genkai, a bloodline trait!" Kakashi started with a new sense of panic. Zabuza only chuckled, "That's right," the demon replied calmly.

Haku's attacks kept coming and coming but Naruto's clones did their job well and gave Sasuke the time to analyze the rogue nin's attacks and that's when both boys heard Haku start again. "Like I told you before, I don't want to kill any of you but If I have to sacrifice my heart for Zabuza-sama I will without hesitation," Haku stopped a moment before looking at his two opponents again,

"This place has become the crossroads of our destinies either my dreams or your dreams will die here," Haku continued with an uneasy sense of calm. "Regardless of what happens here today do not hate me or hate yourselves, we both should be willing to put our lives on the line for the people we treasure. Even if I have to protect, fight, kill, or die I will fulfill that person's dreams because his dreams became my dreams. As such I will act as a true shinobi and kill you both!" Haku shouted, raising his voice for the first time.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a smirk, "I don't think so," Sasuke replied, "That's right, you're the one who's going to be dead meat, believe it!" Naruto said with confidence.

"Naruto, Sasuke don't even think about giving up, your going to win, cha!" Sakura shouted but this caused Kakashi to glare at her,

"Enough Sakura, stop distracting them they need to concentrate if they have any hope of defeating Haku," Kakashi said. "No, they can't be that outmatched can they?" Sakura questioned and looked at the two boys with concern as Zabuza began chuckling again, "It's not that brat, those two are just virgins when it comes to actual killing aren't they Kakashi?" the demon chuckling evolved into a vile laughter,

"Like I said before just little brats who don't have the heart to take life, pathetic!" Zabuza howled, "Haku on the other hand has seen life and death countless times molding him into my precious tool, a true killing machine!" Kakashi had heard enough he slowly began lifting his headband from his left eye,

"You'll forgive me if I kill you quickly," Kakashi said calmly. Zabuza scowled at Kakashi, "Your going to use that cheap trick again Kakashi, I admit I admired the sharingan before but now that I've seen it's secrets I can say without a doubt that it's just a garbage kekkei genkai lacking any real imagination!" the demon of the mist declared in anger.

Before Kakashi could finish uncovering his left eye Zabuza charged him with a kunai but Kakashi was able to intercept it just in time, "Make fun of my sharingan all you want, it doesn't hide the fact that you're terrified of it, coward!," Kakashi started,

"You should feel honored no one has ever fought me and lived to see this eye again and I promise there won't be another!" Zabuza chuckled again, "Defeat me if you can Kakashi but the fact is you'll be so weak by the time you do killing Haku will be impossible. That boy is my weapon and his skills far surpass the trash you keep company," the demon replied. Zabuza drew a kunai as he spoke again,

"You know there's been something I've been dying to say to you since our last fight, something to the effect of the same trick won't work twice,

"**Water Style - Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" Suddenly a mist that was as dense as water covered the battlefield clouding everyone's sense of sight and Zabuza was gone. Kakashi turned to Sakura who he could barely see, "Sakura, protect Tazuna, I'll handle Zabuza," the jonin stated with conviction.

'Sensei's right I just have to have faith in all of them, believe it!' the pinkette thought. The mist grew even thicker and Tazuna began to slightly panic but Sakura reassured him, "Don't worry Tazuna-san I'll protect you, Cha!" she said with confidence.

"Ok Sakura," Tazuna replied a little taken aback by the girls determination. 'The mist is so thick, damn it where will he strike? Of course!' Kakashi rushed to Sakura and Tazuna's side as Zabuza suddenly appeared behind the aged bridge builder.

The demon swung his sword down on Tazuna with great force, his intention to slice the old man in half but Kakashi appeared and took the blow, "Sensei!" Sakura screamed and a few feet away Sasuke's second tomoe finally awakened in his right eye.

* * *

"Was that Sakura, shit! What's going on out there?" Sasuke wondered aloud concern evident in his voice. "Sakura-chan's in trouble, what are we going to do Sasuke?" Naruto asked his teammate in desperation, "Can you make another wave of clones, I'm finally able to track his movements," Sasuke replied.

"Ok Sasuke, **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted and as soon as his clones appeared they charged Haku's mirrors full force but Hauk's attacks took them all down with ease. It gave Sasuke the opening he needed though, "**Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" the last Uchiha screamed. A ball of intense fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth and managed to char Haku's leg before he could escape into his mirror.

'Shit, I didn't notice before but that boy has sharingan too, I have to take one of them out now!' Haku thought in desperation. He immediately launched himself at Naruto rearing another deadly wave of senbon at the chakra exhausted ninja. "Shit, Naurto!" was all Naruto heard Sasuke say.

Eventually Naruto looked up and saw Haku on the ground and Sasuke standing, "Sasuke you did it, believe it!" the blonde cheered but when he finally saw the vast amounts of senbon stuck in Sasuke's body and blood pouring from his wounds his happiness turned to pure horror.

"Sheesh your always in the way, aren't you Naruto?" Sasuke asked while chuckling, "You know I really never cared for you until a little while ago," Sasuke continued but Naruto had to know, "Then why Sasuke? Why go so far for me?" Naruto questioned through tears, "Dobe it's because my body just moved ok… and the truth is Naruto you were my first real friend, funny I promised myself I wouldn't die until I killed that bastard," "What Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke just gazed at his friend before starting again, "It doesn't concern you just... just watch over Ino for me and don't die until you fulfill your dream, Ok Naru..." Sasuke suddenly stopped and fell backwards but was caught by his teammate.

Naruto tried to check for a pulse but there was none, Sasuke Uchiha was dead. Naruto started crying at the loss of his comrade but his sadness quickly shifted to rage as the missing mist nin got to his feet, "He sacrificed himself for you without any sign of hesitation, he lived and died as a true shinobi," Haku said sounding sympathetic,  
"Is this the first time you've lost a friend in battle? This is the way of shinobi, the life we both chose!" Haku finished.

Naruto looked at Haku with malice as his canines and fingernails extended almost mirroring claws and his whisker marks became far more prevalent as a red tail made of chakra grew out of his spine. His eyes slitted and turned a deep red, the same red enveloped his body and formed what could be seen as a cloak completely made of chakra so dense it was easily visible.

"I will never forgive you for this, for what you did to Sasuke, I'm going to kill you!" Naruto screamed in a demonic voice. A few minutes before Kakashi had managed to escape Zabuza's attack with a mere slash to the chest. "Distracted Kakashi, worried about your boys?" Zabuza mocked,

"I figured out your eye, as long as I keep your vision blurred and my own eyes shut you can't read my moves or put me under genjutsu. As for your brats you'll see them again in the next life," Zabuza finished causing Sakura to bark out,

"Screw you asshole! Naruto and Sasuke are not going to lose, believe it, Cha!" she nearly screamed. "That's right Sakura it's your boy who's dead Zabuza, they may not look like much but Sasuke is the heir to the most powerful clan in the Leaf Village and Naruto is the son of our greatest hero!" Kakashi stated with pride.

"What bullshit are you spouting Kakashi?" Zabuza asked angrily, "The raven haired boy's full name is Sasuke Uchiha and the blonde's is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, only son of the Fourth Hokage!" Kakashi replied.

Zabuza looked almost shocked for a moment before composing himself, "They may indeed match Haku then but he has never let me down, we'll just have to wait and see, whether my weapon kill yours or the other way around," Zabuza said and as soon as he did he once again vanished in the mist.

Kakashi readied himself for Zabuza's next attack, "You realize why I let you in on those little secrets right, it's because you won't live to tell a soul, Sakura stick close to Tazuna, I'm ending this now!" Kakashi nearly roared.

"Good luck sensei!" Sakura replied with full confidence. "You should know Zabuza I was trained in assassination as well, let me show you a jutsu of my own creation!" Kakashi said but as he did, he felt a chakra source more powerful than his own, incredibly manvelovent and full of killer intent,

'No! This chakra, it's the nine-tails, did Haku manage to kill Naruto? Has sensei's seal failed? No, I refuse to believe either of those scenarios but this chakra it feels so dangerous and full of hatred and also… a lust for revenge and blood. I have to finish Zabuza now!' the Leaf jonin finalized as he took a scroll from his chest.

"Sorry Zabuza but my students need me and you've lived long enough," Kakashi said as he opened the scroll and in the blink of an eye moved his hands together,  
"Let's end this Zabuza!" he said calmly. "Fine Kakashi lets bring this to an end!" Zabuza replied.

* * *

As the two jonin prepared their final attacks the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox was being completely consumed by its power. Naruto had lost Sasuke his friend, when they became that Naruto did not know but it was Sasuke who had admitted it.

They had bonded together through training and mission while the recent tree climbing exercises only caused them to grow closer. They were teammates, comrades and even though they mocked and scowled at each other constantly they were still irreplaceable in each others eyes. It was Sasuke who had asked for their weekly spars and they both had benefited because of it. It was Sasuke who reminded Naruto of Sakura's birthday when he had forgotten. Naruto would never admit it but it was Sasuke's skills he admired and it had become his goal to surpass the Uchiha one day. It was Sasuke who Naruto always pictured as his best man, during his and Sakura's wedding at least and it was Sasuke who Naruto thought he would be battling for the title of Hokage someday. Now none of it would happen,  
Sasuke was dead,

Naruto layed Sasuke's body on the ground as he got to his feet. "You Die!" was all he said in a voice not his own and as he did his chakra flared to a level so high and so dense the pressure actually shattered all of Haku's mirrors. Haku landed on his feet,  
"What is he?" Haku questioned, Naruto just repeated himself, "Die!" and that's when the boy heard a deep chuckle,

"So you finally broke brat and hard too considering how much of my chakra I was able to feed you. You should realize by now that even if you have these vile bonds covering up your rage and malice will only cause it to all burst out at once!" the voice said. Naruto's angered softened a bit as he realized he was now inside a dark sewer. He turned around towards the direction he heard the deep voice emanate from and he finally saw him, locked away behind thick golden bars an Orange fox with black circles around his eyes and nine tails protruding from his body.

"Yeah thanks for the chakra you damn fox but I want my body back, believe it!" Naruto growled his anger returning but once he saw the orange chakra start to leak towards him he realized, 'Right the nine-tails chakra is drawn from hate and rage, if I can calm down a little maybe I can retake control,' he thought in his mind out loud.

The nine-tails actually began laughing, "That might of worked normally brat but I'm not actually in control it's pissing me off quite a bit actually, normally I would slowly feed you chakra and I would take over your body until I forced myself free or I could just let you die but being reincarnated hurts like hell!" the nine-tails growled out half angrily, half almost sounding curious.

Naruto felt his anger return but did his best to soften it as he asked, "What are talking about nine-tails?" Naruto questioned, the demon fox looked at him angrily before replying, "Like I said I don't know as soon as you broke you showed up here and only my chakra went to your body, not my consciousness. I have no idea what or who's in control of our body but I'll tell you this brat," the nine-tails grunted out.

"What?" Naruto replied in an annoyed tone, the nine-tails began walking to the deepest darkest corner of his cell but before he disappeared from view he answered the young shinobi, "Considering how much chakra your body currently has and the killer intent radiating from you everyone on that bridge including your best friend and future mate will be dead by your own hands, I actually feel sorry for you a little.

I would have killed them myself but at least you had an advantage against me with this damn cage and could actually maybe put up a decent fight in time," were the fox's last words before he vanished into the darkness.

Naruto suddenly realized, "Sasuke's alive?" he turned around and saw that he could see what was happening on the battlefield. He saw his possessed body's gaze slowly make its way to Haku, "Die!" was all the soulless body said again as it leaped at Haku with near Kage level speed and his claw like fingers buried themselves deep into Haku's chest.

"Stop!" Naruto screamed, "That's enough we've won Sasuke's alive, believe it!" he tried calling out to his body in vain. Naruto's body had a calm almost indifferent look as he removed his claw like fingers and began repeatedly stabbing and scratching Haku's body with little sign of stopping. Eventually the attacks made their way to Haku's mask ripping it off revealing to Naruto the true identity of the rouge tracker nin, the person he had met just two days before, the one who had helped him make Sakura so happy on her birthday,

"Why you? Why did it have to be you of all people?" Naruto cried out in pain and confusion but it was all in vain. Haku spoke his last words, "Zabuza-sama I'm sorr…" Haku drew his last breath and died his soul leaving this mortal world. Naruto almost shattered, he had killed, he was no longer innocent and what was so much worse Naruto realized is that he could have easily been Haku's friend.

"No! Not like this it wasn't supposed to be like this!" the blonde wailed in pain and suffering. Suddenly Naruto saw his body drop Haku unceremoniously to the ground, it looked oddly at Sasuke for a moment before stating calmly, "You die," his body slowly made its way towards the incapacitated Sasuke.

Naruto began drowning in an even deeper wave of despair the nine-tails was right his possessed body would murder everyone on the bridge and there was nothing he could do. This pain was unbearable within the last five minutes he had lost friend got him back and now was going to have to watch while his body murdered him with his own hands.

"Nooooo!" the blonde screamed in the most agonizing misery he had ever experienced. "Naruto-kun!" Sakura suddenly shouted, Zabuza's mist was still blinding everyone on the battlefield but Sakura could sense the nine-tails chakra and could feel Naruto's pain and suffering. She felt the fox's chakra flare again and suddenly began sobbing and frantically began screaming,

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke!" she cycled through their names like a tape on repeat as her heart poured out to the two most important boys in her life. Suddenly the seal on Saukra's hand began to glow and flash different colors, first a reddish orange, then cyan, quickly flashing white before finally resting on ocean blue. Sakura was too blinded by her tears and the thick mist to notice the colors or the glow of her seal as she cried her heart out for the two boys she cared so much for, Sasuke her first crush which had evolved into a genuine friendship and Naruto who was slowly capturing her heart. As soon as the glow from her seals appeared, it vanished without Sakura noticing a thing.

Naruto's body reached Sasuke and held him by his collar with his left hand as his clawed right slowly reared itself in preparation to attack the unconscious Uchiha. Inside the Fourth's seal Naruto continued to scream, "Sasuke! Sasuke!" the blonde repeated in agony. He saw his right hand finally going for the kill but just before his hand met Sasuke's throat he finally noticed Sakura's screams and somehow regained control of his left hand noticing that seal was glowing.

He immediately moved the injured Sasuke to safety as his right hand came within inches of the raven haired boys face. Naruto noticed the seal on his left hand flash several different colors, first orange, followed by emerald green, cyan, quickly flashing white before finally resting on ocean blue. Naruto looked at the seal but the glow had faded and the seals were as they usually were, somehow he was back in control. The blonde immediately returned his attention to Sasuke as he rushed to his friend's side, "Sasuke!" he repeated again.

* * *

At the same time Kakashi was readying himself for his final attack, he held the scroll he had revealed earlier as he waved the signs for tiger, snake, dragon, and dog. He suddenly slammed his hands to the ground as he shouted,

"**Earth Style - Fanged Pursuit Summoning Jutsu!**" "Shouting nonsense won't save you Kakashi, I'm completely enveloped in the mist!" Zabuza replied. Kakashi smirked, "It's over," the ground beneath Zabuza's feet suddenly gave way and several ninja dogs impaled the demon with their large canines locking him securely in place,

"I warned you my sharingan wasn't my only trick and even though you clouded my vision and can even mask your sound, your scent is easy prey to my hounds and your mist provided the perfect cover for their attack," Kakashi explained calmly, "But how?" Zabuza questioned,

"Heh, my brats as you called them recovered my tools from our last battle, luckily for me they neglected to clean them for me and once I knew you were still alive I preserved a kunai coated in your foul blood." Kakashi waved around a kunai coated with Zabuza's dried blood, "Once my dogs have your scent they can track you from miles away finding you in this mist was child's play for them. Now this is your end Zabuza Momochi!" Kakashi finished,

"Damn it, No!" The demon struggled to break free but the nin dogs only tightened their grip. "Like I said before this is your last battle," Kakashi said calmly, "Fuck You Kakashi! I can't die here not yet," Zabuza continued to struggle but it was in vain,

"You should have seen this coming when you betrayed your village and attempted to murder your own Kage you scum!" Kakashi quickly weaved the signs for ox, rabbit, and monkey, he extended his right hand out ward with his palm facing up and his elbow bent. His left hand was resting on his right bicep and suddenly lightning began sparking from Kaskashi hand. The jonin continued to focus his chakra into his right palm causing waves of electricity to spark dangerously around him until his jutsu finally stabilized. Kakashi looked at Zabuza his sharingan staring him down, the sounds of birds chirping emanating from his hand and the jutsu of his own creation at the ready.

'No' Zabuza thought 'his attack is so powerful' Zabuza thought process was interrupted by Kakashi's next words, "Then you tried to kill a man whose only desire is to save and protect his people. I won't allow your madness to continue for another second you have disgraced the name shinobi!" Kakashi yelled,

"Now, **Lightning Blade!**" Kakashi finally announced his attack and before Zabuza could blink he was dead. Kakashi's lightning blade had pierced Zabuza's heart finally killing the demon for good. "It's finally over," the jonin said with a sigh, 'Now for Naruto and Sasuke but that's strange I don't sense the nine-tails anymore, did Naruto suppress it by himself?' the jonin wondered as Zabuza's soul departed from this world and the mist he brought with him finally vanished as well.

As the mist slowly dissipated Sakura saw her sensei come in to view and at his feet she saw his opponent dead, "I knew sensei was amazing, Cha! But where are my boys damn it!" Sakura looked around the bridge frantically and spotted Naruto kneeling over Sasuke,

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke!" Sakura cried in concern as she rushed over to the two boys her hand immediately going to her medical pouch. Naruto looked at Sakura as he heard her voice and for the first time since waking up that day Naruto smiled in happiness. He slowly redirected his attention back to Sasuke,

"Don't worry he's alive Sakura-chan but treat his wounds I'm already healed," the knucklehead said in a sad tone. Sakura began removing the senbon from Sasuke but she noticed Naruto's tone and followed his gaze to the missing tracker nin's corpse. She looked at him firmly but full of compassion as she asked,

"What happened Naruto-kun, I… I could sense that chakra was it… was it the nine-tails? Be honest, it's ok no matter what happens that thing will never influence my feelings for you," Sakura stated to him sternly. She finally managed to remove the last of the senbon and was now beginning to bandage up the last Uchiha.

Unbeknownst to them the Sasuke had regained consciousness but was choosing not to speak. Naruto looked at Sakura with a grim expression, "I… I…" he started but nothing would come. Finishing her bandaging of the raven haired teen she quickly flung her arms around the blonde ninja forcing him to look directly into her emerald eyes, "Naruto its ok," she said while petting his cheek.

He looked at her again and nestled his head into her chest as he began to sob, "I… I thought Haku killed Sasuke…" Naruto started, "And I got lost in so much hate and rage that I was pulled into dad's seal and then I met the nine-tails," Naruto suddenly stopped and Sakura had to reaffirm,

"It's ok Naruto I will always be right here," Sakura said affectionately. "Did the fox take over?" the pinkette questioned, "No, or I don't really know he said he tried but something was repelling both our minds…" Naruto said Sakura looked at him with concern while Kakashi finally reached his three students,

"You can't trust that monster Naruto," Kakashi replied with his own worry evident on his face. "I know that sensei it was just weird instead of acting like the monster I expected he almost seemed sympathetic. He was the one who told me Sasuke was still alive, if he hadn't I never would of been able to suppress my rage," Naruto tried to explain.

"So you were able to suppress the fox with your own will impressive Naruto," Kakashi said with pride. "No sensei!" Naruto barked,

"Like I said I don't know if it was the nine-tails or not but when I… when I…" After a few moments Naruto composed himself and continued, "When I realized that I had lost all control over my body I tried shifting my mind back but nothing I tried worked. I watched against my will as I mutilated Haku with my bare hands and then after I was done with him I even tried to kill… kill Sasuke!" the young man finally admitted through tears,

"No," Sakura replied as she held him tighter a few tears of her own beginning to form. Naruto's sobs slowed as he looked into Sakura's eyes with affection, "But before I could do anything the seal on my left hand started glowing and I heard your beautiful voice Sakura-chan and before I knew it I was me again," He looked at her with a small smile and she gazed at him giving a look she had never expressed before at least in this lifetime,

"You saved us Sakura-chan, your love I could feel it, believe it!" He smiled at her before finishing, "I love you Sakura-hime, I truly do, you know," The last of Naruto's tears vanished as Sakura smiled at him a blush creeping onto her face,

"And I love you Naruto-kun," she replied confessing the feelings that had been nurturing since the day there bond began. She knew she loved him and hopefully in time as much as he always loved her. That's when the pair heard a familiar groan,

"Kami your making me sick get a room you dobes," Sasuke said faining disgust at the couples antics. Naruto and Sakura looked at Sasuke with concern but the three eventually shared a small grin and all Naruto could say was,

"Thank you my friend," he said with his true smile his tears long forgotten. Sasuke put on a smirk as he got back to his feet,

"No problem Naruto," he replied. "If you guys are done it would appear we have some more company," Kakashi said coolly as he pointed to the end of the unfinished bridge.

* * *

"So Gato finally crawled out of your rat infested hole!" Tazuna barked angrily to the short ugly businessman. Gato scowled at him before looking around the battlefield seeing his hired ninja dead, "So Zabuza failed me after all, that's ok, he did his job of weakening your ninja and now my mercenaries can finish you all off!"

Behind Gato there were at least fifty mercenaries all strapped from head to toe with different deadly weapons. Gato began chuckling coldly, "And as a bonus now I don't have to pay those two a single ryo," Gato began howling with laughter, "Or pay someone to take revenge for me I can do that myself!" he screamed as he began stomping Haku's bruised and bloody face, "This is for my hand you scum!" he shouted in sadistic glea.

Naruto's anger rose but as he got back to his feet he felt Sakura's hand in his and he suppressed his rage, "Get the fuck off of him you bastard!" Naruto growled, "What brat, why do you care he was your enemy and besides, aren't you the one that killed him. Tell you what, finish off your friends for me and I'll pay you what I was going to give Zabuza," Gato said with an evil smirk.

Naruto only huffed and directed his gaze solely on Gato, Sakura looked at her baka with concern when she heard Sasuke's voice,

"He has a point Naruto he did almost kill me," Sasuke pointed out. Naruto looked at Sasuke as he replied calmly. "I don't think he did Sasuke remember what Kakashi sensei told us when this thing started about senbon,"

"Senbon can be used to put a person into a state that makes them appear to be dead," Sasuke said. "Right Sasuke, I bet his plan was to place the three of us in a state of near death, ambush sensei, kill Tazuna, then escape with Zabuza before he even knew we were alive," Naruto explained.

"But why would he Naruto, we didn't know him, he had no reason to show us mercy?" Sakura asked. Naruto chuckled, "But we did Sakura-chan, Haku's the one who planned your birthday," Naruto said calmly. "What?" the kunochi asked in disbelief, Naruto sighed before replying,

"The truth is Sakura-chan I forgot your birthday at first it was Sasuke who reminded me the night before," Naruto looked at his friend fondly who showed a small grin. Sakura lipped a small, "Thank you," to the last Uchiha and he just smirked. Naruto chuckled again,

"I got so stressed I passed out from chakra exhaustion and slept in the woods all night," the blonde explained while Sakura looked at him fondly simply replying, "Baka," he looked at her with a smile before finishing, "He found me, he could of killed me so easily but he woke me and even asked me what I was doing. I told him a little bit about me and asked what I should do for you.

The flowers, the meal, even the stargazing were all of Haku's ideas. He truly knew what it meant to care for someone," Naruto began to shed tears once again, "Even if Zabuza only saw him as a thing, a weapon Haku's last words were his apologies to the evil bastard for failing him," Naruto's weeping suddenly stopped.

"And I won't let this bastard desecrate my friend or his memory, Zabuza was scum but Haku lived and died as a true shinobi and his loyalty to his loved one was an inspiration to me!" Naruto growled out.

Gato just looked at the young ninja angrily, "Alright boys kill these ninja trash!" As soon as he finished barking his order an arrow whizzed by his foot, "Who wants to die next?" the short man yelled as he looked towards the source of the projectile for his gaze to meet the boy's who he only knew as the son of Kaiza.

The boy wasn't alone though behind him stood at least a hundred villagers all armed with pitchforks and other farm and fishing tools,

"I did it Naruto look," Inari cried out. Naruto walked up the young boy and ruffled his hair before bending over to meet his gaze,

"You know what that means right Inari, your officially a hero, believe it!" Naruto turned around as Inari started to shed tears of joy, the son of the Fourth staring directly at the corrupt tyrant who called himself a businessman,  
"It's over Fatto, **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**"

"That looks like fun Naruto think I'll join, **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Kakashi shouted and suddenly another fifty Naruto's appeared and around twenty Kakashi's were ready for battle. Sasuke went to help his comrades but Sakura stopped him, "Nope you overused your eyes and have little to no chakra left on top of being injured let us handle this," Sakura explained. Sasuke huffed but complied as she went to go stand next to the original Naruto and Kakashi she turned around and added,

"Besides you hate using this jutsu," while winking and taking her place on the other side of her sensei. Sasuke actually started chuckling to himself, he knew what was coming as he sat on the edge of the bridge trying to get comfortable for the upcoming show.

"Alright, my turn **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Sakura yelled and as she did two solid clones of her appeared next to her. "Sakura when did you learn that?" Kakashi asked in curiosity, Sakura smirked, "Naruto taught me the signs I just had to build up enough chakra so I practiced the tree climbing technique you taught us on the side of the bridge everyday.

A week ago I was able to produce my first clone and on my birthday I was finally able to make a second that's my limit for now though," Sakura replied proudly. Naruto grinned, "Alright everyone charge!" the blonde shouted.

The clones and the villagers followed the baka's orders like he was a general and charged full force defeating Gato's mercenaries with ease and no casualties on their side. Sakura was the one who got the real prize though as Gato stared at her his anger and contempt apparent.

The real Sakura was standing in front of the man with her two clone behind him preventing his escape, "Funny big bad Gato defeated by an adorable pink haired little girl," Sakura teased the short man. Gato gathered his courage which would prove to be his undoing,

"And you'll make me a lot of money when I sell your ass or better yet just keep you for myself," the man who had signed his death certificate barked angrily. Naruto could only sigh remembering ramen note #62,

Sakura exploded, "I am not a whore you fuck, my name is Sakura Haruno Uzumaki, Cha!" Sakura and her clones immediately threw a hard right while shouting,

"**Cherry Blossom Crush!**"

All three of her fist came from different directions making contact with Gato's ugly face making it even uglier than before. The tyrant wasn't dead but he was beaten and surrounded, Sakura grinned as she took in her handiwork and as her three teammates came up to her, Team 7 shared a smile the battle was over but there was still a mission to finish.

* * *

**Alot of AN:**

**Like I stated in chapter 4 this entire story is already planned and every major decision has already been made the ships the plot everything. This arc was used to build Naruto and Sakura's relationship and too get them as close as possible as quickly as possible which is why I had to redirect her affection for Sasuke immediately to a platonic level and start hitting the things that make her tic with Naruto like his enormous chakra capacity, his parentage, and the tragic life he led. She is definitely the character that has changed the most.**

**The next (1) chapter will cover team 7 departure from the land of waves and a short arc of my own creation to start bringing Hinata and Naruto closer and the chunin exams especially after the fights will focus on them but Sakura will still obviously be there and the two will still share moments from time to time. **

**Naruto and Sakura are not in love in love yet but from this start it will definitely evolve into something great. Sasuke and Ino will also have a place in the next chapter and to be honest it's much more important to focus on them considering what's gonna go down in the forest of death. Naruto like Sakura has acquired a few of her characteristics but most noticeably a slightly bigger brain and from Hinata he got her calmness and patience molding him into an odd mix of his part 1 and part 2 selves. **

**Sakura has inherited really only the habits that she actually hated before which was done to torture her a little and make me laugh sorry Sakura. I love Sakura's character deeply and even respect and admire her love for Sasuke and her affection and care for Naruto in the original and I am forever grateful to Kishimoto for the wonderful world and incredible characters he created. **

**Hinata has also inherited Naruto's confidence she doesn't stutter or faint in front of Naruto at this point obviously but her character and her changes will be explored later. Sasuke is a really hard character for anyone to sympathize with and to be honest I hated the teme and the fact that he got Sakura but after rereading and reanalyzing, I saw why things went the way they did. **

**Both Sakura and Naruto had hurt and lied to each other so much, even if it was to protect or save them that they both felt guilt that they weren't good enough for the other. They cared about the other so much that they wanted them to have the happiest lives they could possibly have and in doing so pushed the other away. There really is no reason for anyone to hate any of the characters for the way the ships turned out like Sarada was an expression of love between Sasuke and Sakura all of the care and moments that were shown between Naruto and Sakura and the enormous amounts of beautiful filler and movies which are outside of the canon timeline including road to ninja (Thank You Kishi) all can be interpreted as alternative timelines where NaruSaku did or might've happened. Really all we need is a scene between Naruto and Sakura in Boruto with the two joking in Naruto's office and Naruto saying ,**

**"You know it could have gone that way" Naruto said jokingly as he prepared for a bonk he knew was coming.  
**

**When it didn't he looked back to Sakura who was standing by the door as she opened it she looked back at him and smiled  
****  
"And it would of been a wonderful** **life**"** was all the pinkete said before leaving the blonde Hokage with a look of shock which eventually turned into a grin**

**Sasuke did care for Sakura you have to look hard but he definitely had a soft spot for her like he did with Karin. In this scenario without his teammates being up his ass all of the time he has opened up to them more and Ino's outgoing personality helped out with that. **

**Kakashi has gotten his dream mold for Team 7 with how well they work together and are all obviously friends inadvertently making him like and care for them more much sooner. I want to make the bond and friendship between Team 7 even stronger than in canon so when shit hits the fan it's gonna feel a lot worse also if Sasuke's friendlier it gives Naruto more shit to spit back to him later. **

**As for jutsu names got really stuck went with what sounded good and made sense to me based on the english translations in both the manga and anime and yes I am rereading and watching Naruto to get everything right and make sure I don't miss something important and forget to develop something**

**Thank you all and have a happy holiday**


	9. Someone Like Me

**Chapter 9: Someone Like Me**

* * *

April 13th, 64 AFL

Tazuna had finally completed his bridge the night before and so early the next morning Team 7 were saying their final farewells to the people they had defeated in battle just two weeks before, "Why did you want to bury Zabuza too Naruto?" Sakura asked the blonde knucklehead, "I didn't do it for him, I did it for Haku," Naruto replied sadly.

The two genin were standing with their teammates taking one last look at the memorial they had built the two missing mist nin. "What about Zabuza's sword Kakashi?" Sasuke questioned, "Leave it, hopefully nobody ever finds it or Haku's memorial," the jonin replied simply. Naruto turned to his sensei with a serious but not hostile look as he asked,

"So what about you sensei? Do you actually care about us or are we just your tools to be used and manipulated as you see fit? Is that your way of the shinobi?" Naruto asked his sensei not in malice but in search of the truth. Kakashi could only sigh hearing Naruto's words, it was true he had not prepared them enough for this and that he had only reached his students after the worst of their battle was over. Kakashi also knew how Mizuki had deceived him in order to steal The Scroll of Sealing and that Naruto had heard Zabuza's opinions towards his own student from Sakura. Kakashi looked at all three of his students as he finally answered,

"Of course not, I care for all three of you deeply and would give my own life for any of yours," the jonin said but as his students started to grin he spoke again, "However, it is true that all shinobi at least legally are merely tools of their village, it's council, and it's kage. In fact those seals on your palms represent that fact," Kakashi finished honestly.

Sasuke looked to the ground in agitation at the fact he was just the villages pawn, while Naruto looked at him visibly annoyed, Sakura asked her sensei curiously, "What do you mean sensei?" Kakashi looked at Sakura and started explaining,

"Other villages don't have The Soul Seal Jutsu, they have the freedom to search and pursue whoever they want while the jutsu picks your partner for you and it's a requirement for all graduating genin to go through it," the jonin started. "In all honesty I don't know if I agree with Lord Fourth and Lord Third's decision to implement it into shinobi law, although it has helped a vast amount of kunoichi get over their obsessions in the past and has given male shinobi something to protect," Kakashi winked at Naruto and Sakura then continued, "but I really don't know, it makes me wonder if we had it in my genin days maybe things could have gone differently," the jonin finished and began gazing into the sky.

Sakura looked at her sensei with concern as she asked, "Do you know who your soulmate is sensei?" the pinkette questioned. Kakashi directed his gaze to the kunoichi as he replied,  
"If your asking if I've ever had The Soul Seal Jutsu performed on me, that would be a no, it was optional to all active ninja at the time of its implementation into law. Besides do you know what happens if the jutsu is performed on you and your partner is already dead Sakura?"

"No" Sakura replied with a sad look. Kakashi chuckled, "Nothing, absolutely nothing, the truth is I'm afraid Sakura, I'm afraid I already lost her," Sakura looked at her sensei with sympathy before embracing him in a hug, "Don't be afraid sensei if that happens it happens, don't be afraid to at least try, believe it," the pinkete said with a genuine smile.

Kakashi looked at his student fondly before ruffling her pink locks, "Thank you Sakura," the jonin replied with almost tears in eyes from the young girl's kindness as he broke their short embrace. Kakashi saw Naruto looking at him with a determined look on his face as he asked, "What's wrong Naruto?" Kakashi questioned,

"It's just what you said about us being tools it's stills sounds like a bunch of crap to me," the blonde replied simply, "Even if that's how it is now, I know my ninja way to be the greatest Hokage and I'll do it my own way without being somebody's puppet, and I'll have Hinata and you three by my side the whole way, believe it!" he said with pride as he smiled at his teammates.

Sakura grinned and threw her fist into the air, "Right Cha!" she said aloud while Sasuke began to smirk but there was a little venom in his voice when he replied, "You know dobe if your going to be Hokage your going to have to prove your stronger than me!" Sasuke actually barked out he didn't know why he was suddenly getting angry at his friend but it had been growing worse ever since their battle with the rogue nin.

His teammates had only seen his mood change as a result of Naruto being the one to defeat Haku and not himself but Sasuke knew that wasn't the only reason. He had heard the truth about Naruto's heritage and the fact he had been gifted such an immense power at birth, a power he could have easily used to kill Itachi. There was also the fact that Naruto had gotten Sakura and not him, she was the only girl he had only slightly had a soft spot for before The Soul Seal Jutsu but it was the dobe who had gotten her instead. On top of everything Naruto had even gotten his first kill over Sasuke and against such a powerful opponent. In Sasuke's mind Naruto had grown so much while the only thing Sasuke had obtained was one new tomoe and better chakra control, a good step but he needed far more power and the Mangekyou if he wanted to kill Itachi. This had all accumulated into a growing jealousy for Naruto over the past couple of weeks and that had gone unnoticed by Sakura and Naruto but Kakashi could see it clearly.

Naruto finally responded to his friend with a sincere smile as he answered his raven haired teammate, "I know Sasuke-teme," causing Sasuke's scowl to deepen and Naruto to smirk. Kakashi looked at his two boys with worry before he interrupted their argument, "Alright guys let's say our farewells to Tazuna and head home," he said coolly. Naruto turned to his sensei as he and Sakura replied with a "Right!" but Sasuke just huffed and followed his team to the now finished bridge.

* * *

A couple of hours later Team 7 finally arrived at the recently finished bridge and were greeted by Tazuna and his grandson Inari,

"Thank you for everything," the drunkard stated with sincerity to the Leaf nin. Inari walked up to the two genin he had bonded with most, "Yeah Naruto, Sakura thank you and you too eyepatch and emo-kid," the little boy said with a smile.

Sasuke actually fell over backwards, 'He doesn't even remember my name!' the Uchiha thought in anger and annoyance. "No need for thanks we chose to stay and we made great memories just remember what I said about what I said to Zabuza about these two," Kakashi replied while ruffling Naruto and Sasuke's heads causing both boys to glare at their sensei. They were both up for praise but not being treated like children in front of their clients.

Tazuna chuckled before looking at Kakashi and replying, "Don't worry Kakashi there secrets are safe with me," the old man replied with a smile and laughter, "Like I said before, I don't understand any of that ninja gibberish anyway," Kakashi smiled as Naruto and Sakura said their final farewells to the young Inari,

"This is goodbye," the pinkette said sadly. "Yeah but we'll see each other again someday, right Inari," Naruto began with a smile, "So let it out ok it's fine to cry when your happy, you know," the blonde finished. Inari began to shed a few tears but quickly dried them,

"No, it's better to smile cuz like you said Naruto we'll see each other again someday," the boy replied happily. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and shared a smile, "Believe, It!" the couple stated in unison and wrapped their arms around the young boy who finally began to sob in a mix of joy at the liberation of his land and sadness at the loss of his close friends, the heroes who had saved them all.

The three finally broke apart and Team 7 began their journey home but before they got more than a few feet away they heard Tazuna's voice, "Oh by the way I've named the the bridge," he said with a shit eating grin. Kakashi was the one to ask, "Really what did you decide?" the jonin questioned,

Tazuna's grin got even wider as he replied, "I was going to name it The Great Naruto Bridge but after talking to a blonde little friend of mind," Tazuna winked at Naruto who was wearing his classic foxy grin,

"I decided this would be The Bridge of Emerald Cherry Blossoms, odd name in this nation especially but as per request this bridge was officially given that name ten days ago on April 3rd," the drunkard finished.

Sakura looked at Tazuna with a dumbfounded look and then to Naruto who was wearing that damn look of love and admiration. She did this about five times before her inner helped her regain her sanity, 'He named a bridge after me,' her inner said with a blush. "He named a bridge after me" Sakura replied to her inner self. 'On our know obvious anniversary of April 3rd,' her inner answered again her blush deepening even more. Normal Sakura's thoughts mirrored her inner's once again, "He named a bridge after me on our anniversary," she squealed in delight in her mind. 'Kiss the baka!' inner Sakura screamed while licking her lips.

That was it the last restraint broke, "Definitely kiss that sweet blonde baka soulmate of ours, mine whatever the hell you are!" Inner Sakura huffed and vanished while the real Sakura came back to reality and saw Naruto looking at her with concern,

"Uh you alright Sakura-chan, you kinda zoned out there?" the blonde questioned. Sakura tackled him with all of the strength she had, their foreheads bumped, that hurt like hell, they landed on the ground in the same position they had been in when Sakura thought he had pranked her.

Oh how wrong she had been thinking it was just a prank as she looked into his eyes with a look of love and devotion that mirrored Naruto's own. They both smiled, Sakura tilted her head and leaned down while the blonde tilted his head and leaned up to meet the cherry blossom he treasured so much. For the two genin time stopped their lips met a chaste kiss their first but it was special nonetheless, sharing the feelings they had for the other while expressing the love that was slowly growing between the two. As quickly as they met their lips parted and the two teens shared a blush while their sensei smirked at them, "Are you two ready to go home yet?" the jonin questioned. They looked at Kakashi before turning to face the other, "Yeah lets," they said in unison and as they got to their feet Sakura's right hand interlocked with Naruto's left. Team 7 said one final goodbye to the people of The Land of Waves and made their way home after their first true ninja mission.

* * *

While Team 7 made their way home Team 8 was currently undergoing the same training that Naruto and Sasuke had gone through just a couple of weeks before, "Damn it, I can barely make it up a few branches up!" Kiba barked out in annoyance.

"You need to concentrate more, why because it's an important step in controlling your chakra," Shino replied flatly as he sat at least twice as high up as his teammate. "Screw you Shino!" Kiba yelled out angrily at his own failure more so than his friend. Hinata sighed,

"Shino's right Kiba-kun you need to concentrate, after all you're the one that asked us to come out here even though Kurenai sensei would be furious." Team 8 was currently residing in the large forest just outside of the village in order to do some private training while Kurenai was away on an important mission.

"Hinata's right Kiba we shouldn't even be out here, why because there are plenty of other things we could be training in besides chakra control," Shino stated simply as the two boys came to the ground to meet up with Hinata who had already mastered the technique. Kiba growled at got right into Shino's face, "And who asked you bug boy," he barked out while holding Shino by his collar. Shino looked indifferent but then got a little bit color as he suddenly announced,

"Were being ambushed!" the boy with shades almost shouted. Kiba suddenly released his friend and began sniffing the air along with his nin dog Akamaru, "Damn I hate Spring all the pollen makes it hard to smell anything," Kiba said annoyed. "Come on guys we have to head back now," Hinata pleaded to her teammates.

As Team 8 prepared to move out Hinata activated her family's kekkei genkai, "**Byakugan!**" the Hyuga princess shouted. Hinata looked around frantically and found their attackers, three enemy nin all standing above them. "There they are!" Hinata said while pointing above. Shino immediately sent his bugs in to cover their escape but as they got within a few feet of the unknown nin they suddenly halted their attack and dispersed,

'What the fuck was that?' Shino thought. His thought process and their escape was interrupted by the three nin suddenly jumping down and revealing themselves. Two of them appeared to be the same age as them but one was a bit older probably fourteen or fifteen. This one had red hair and a slim build and oddly enough instead of a kunai he was holding a medical scalpel. The other boy in their group had brown hair and dark brown eyes he wasn't holding a weapon however his hands were held together firmly ready to unleash an unknown jutsu at any second. The final member of their group was a short haired girl with blue hair, tan skin and orange eyes, she was holding a kunai but had a sad expression on her face.

"Perfect the intelligence I got was right, the Hyuga heiress was assigned an Aburame as a teammate, that's specifically why I requested you Fu and with all this pollen the Inuzuka couldn't even detect our approach," the red haired teen stated with a sadistic smile. Kiba huffed,

"I don't know who you think you are but you won't take us down that easily," he replied with a smirk, "Now Akamaru!" Kiba's faithful nin dog jumped out of his sweater and stood beside his master, "Now **Man-Beast Taijutsu - Fang Over Fang!**" the young Inuzuka shouted. Suddenly Kiba and Akumaru's bodies began rotating together and suddenly launched themselves at the apparent leader of the enemy nin. The red haired leader just smirked,

"Soboku do you mind?" suddenly the brown haired boy jumped in front of Kiba's attack and simply shouted, "**Earth Style - Mud Wall**!" and as soon as he did it intercepted Kiba's attack his mud wall barely holding strong but holding nonetheless. Kiba tried to recuperate but the red-haired nin was on the pair in seconds quickly slicing them with his scalpel. Kiba suddenly felt drowsy as he looked at his opponents with contempt he questioned, "What… What did you do to me and Akamaru? What was on that knife?" the Inuzuka asked while trying to remain conciousses.

The red-haired teen laughed coldly before answering, "Don't worry, it's pretty common poison but it will kill you and your mut in under four hours if you don't get to a doctor quickly and you should only be able to retain consciousness for another, well about now," the unknown nin explained as Kiba and Akamaru quickly passed out on the ground. Hinata looked at the enemy nin the kind girls anger actually rising for once as she stated calmly,

"Shino-kun take Kiba-kun and get back to the village, I'll hold them off until you can get reinforcements," she said with determination. Shino instantly argued back, "Absolutely not there more than likely after you, why because you have the Byakugan and there's no way you can beat them alone," the bug man replied seriously. Hinata smiled at him before looking back at the enemy nin in contempt,

"We don't have a choice for some reason your bugs are afraid of them and Kiba is out cold my jutsu's are the only ones that we can still fight them with," she said calmly before looking back to Shino with an even bigger smile, "Besides it's what Naruto-kun would do for his comrades, now go!" Hinata shouted as she charged the two male nin while shouting, "**Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!**' but none of her blows would connect.

The red haired teen laughed once again, "Did you really think we would target a member of the Hyuga clan and not study their Taijutsu styles, what a joke your as basic as every Hyuga!" he shouted and knocked Hinata with a good right fist but she recovered quickly and scowled at him,

"Then I can try this at least **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" she shouted as two solid duplicates appeared next to her. She looked back to Shino who by now had recovered Kiba and was staring at her in concern, "Go!" she shouted, Shino took one last look at his teammate and the two enemy nin, his gaze slowly shifted towards the female of their group who looked saddened by the whole ordeal. Shino saw her lip an, "I'm sorry," before he turned away with Kiba on his back and headed straight for the gates of Konoha.

Hinata and her two clones turned their gaze to the two male nin who had engaged her in combat as the brown haired boy asked their apparent leader, "There escaping is that ok Mishito-san?" Soboku asked his teammate. "Yeah that's fine, we just have to defeat the Hyuga bitch quickly," the red haired teen replied as he pulled out a different scalpel from his weapon pouch.

"Fu do you mind actually helping or are you just gonna sit there looking pissy and depressed all mission?" Mishito questioned the blue haired girl. Fu just scowled at him, "No this mission is fucked up, I don't really give a shit if it came from the village leader or not, I can't believe he would even approve of such a thing, it's just a bunch of crap!" she shouted and jumped back up into the trees laying on a branch and turning away from the two boys.

Mishito just huffed while Soboku could only sigh, "I hate it too Fu-chan but orders are orders and our leader wants the Byakugan," Soboku explained albeit in a depressed tone. Mishito grinned, "Alright Soboku you know the drill," Soboku sighed again, "Alright Mishito-san" he replied and suddenly began charging Hinata and her three clones. They each got ready for combat but were surprised when Soboku jumped into the air, "**Earth Style - Stone Pistol Jutsu!**" he shouted as soon as he did several chunks of hard mud shot out of the boys mouth giving Hinata and her clones no time to react as her as well as her clones suffered several brutal blows.

Her clones poofed away but Hinata was still standing, 'How does Naruto-kun produce so many clones after just two I'm almost wiped," the girl thought. She was interrupted by Mishito suddenly appearing behind her, he tried slicing her side but she intercepted it with her right hand, unfortunately the blade had made a small cut and that's all it took.

Hinata suddenly collapsed fainting from whatever toxin had been coated with Mishito's scalpel. Mishito laughed coldly as he turned to Soboku, "Alright carry her Soboku, let's head home it's getting late," the red haired teen ordered his comrade. Soboku looked at him annoyed for a moment but complied as Fu suddenly appeared next to them.

"Ready to torture a poor girl for something that she can't even help?" Fu asked with venom in her voice. Soboku looked down disappointed with himself but Mishito just chuckled, "Be grateful there aren't enemy nin after you, you fucking disgusting bug," Mishito said with malice. "What the fuck did you just call me you bastard!" Fu yelled as she went to go punch the boy in his face but Soboku grabbed her wrist and shook his head,

"Remember Fu-chan if you ever lay a hand on a fellow waterfall nin you'll be confined and never be let out," he reminded her calmly. Fu looked at Soboku angrily but nodded and he released his grip as Mishito started to speak again, "Alright let's head home," the red haired medic nin said with a grin. Fu and Soboku scowled at him before nodding and making their way back to The Village Hidden by a Waterfall.

* * *

As the Waterfall nin made their way back home Team 7 arrived at the village gates only to find Shino carrying an injured Kiba. "What happened to Kiba, Shino?!" Kakashi asked in concern. Shino turned to the jonin with Kiba still on his back, "Kiba poisoned, Hinata kidnapped by enemy nin, why Byakugan, please report to the Hokage for me, why I need to get Kiba and Akamaru to the hospital now!" Shino replied and before Team 7 could say a word the bug man disappeared with his comrade into the village. Kakashi immediately turned to Naruto but it was already too late, the blonde was long gone,

"Fuck!" Kakashi said aloud while Sakura turned to him frantically, "Naruto-kun and Hinata are missing what are we going to do Kakashi sensei!" the pinkette said worry and fear clear on her face. Kakashi kneeled down to meet Sakura's eyes as he replied,

"It's going to be ok Sakura were going to go to the Hokage and get our orders, ok," the jonin said as he grabbed her hand and began leading her to the Hokage tower. He made sure to keep his grip firm and his eye on her at all times, she had been with Naruto and Hinata for the last couple of months after all and he couldn't risk her running off and doing something crazy in a vain attempt to help her loved ones.

"Come on Sasuke," Kakashi said expecting his student to follow but when he didn't the jonin turned to see a scowl on his face, "I'm just going to go train sensei, trust me I won't run off, I could give a shit about the dobe and his girlfriends, he already holds me back enough as it is," Sasuke replied flatly and left heading towards the training fields. Kakashi sighed and looked to see Sakura with an utter look of shock and even some tears starting to form. Kakashi was forced to meet the girls gaze once again as she asked,

"Why sensei, why would he say that?" Sakura questioned sadly. Kakashi tried to explain, "He has problems but he doesn't mean that he does care about you and Naruto both as well as Hinata but we'll get through that problem one step at a time for now let's meet up with the Hokage and explain what the hell is going on," he replied and started guiding her to the Hokage Tower once again. Sakura sunk her head down in worry as she thought, 'Naruto-kun I know you'll save Hinata but please just be careful I can't afford to lose either of you,' Sakura thought as she began to weep.

Meanwhile the son of the Fourth was quickly making his way through the trees as he desperately tried to track Hinata's scent through the vast amounts of pollen. As her scent grew stronger and stronger Naruto couldn't help but blame himself for this,

"Damn it, Damn it, Damn it, I should of never asked for that damn mission I would of been here to stop this, Fuck!" he screeched aloud. "Damn it," the blonde continued,

"I promised her I wouldn't neglect her and then I go and have a month long get away with Sakura-chan, Kami what the fuck have I done!" the blonde wailed in pain and started to shed a few tears as he remembered the special night he had spent with the Hyuga heiress just a couple of months ago.

* * *

Flashback: February 16th, 64 AFL

It was a surprisingly warm day for February when Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata finished their daily training and were getting ready to say their goodbyes. Sakura saw Hinata gazing at the moon that was as full as could be when she smiled and whispered into Naruto's ear,

"Remember to take Hinata out tonight for a picnic on the monument," she said into her baka's ear. Naruto simply smiled and nodded and once Sakura said her farewells to the pair Naruto asked the Hyuga heiress,

"Hinata want to go to the monument and look at the moon, I even have a meal prepared and everything, believe it!" he said happily. Hinata smiled while blushing redder than Sakura's dress, "Of… of course Naruto-kun," she said happily.

Both genin looked at each other fondly before making their way to monument Hinata's left hand intertwining with Naruto's right. Once the couple made their way to Naruto's favorite spot they sat down and began just simply looking at the moon in silence until Hinata's belly grumbled with hunger causing her to flush,

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun I'm just a little hungry," she admitted embarrassed at her stomachs outburst. Naruto just gave her that look that she had finally stopped fainting from as he replied, "You should have said so Hinata-chan," he suddenly flashed a foxy grin as he walked to the edge of Lord Fourth's stone face and bent down. Hinata got up and curiously walked over to see what he was doing and was shocked, her love was hoisting up a bento box with a long rope she hadn't seen in a long time, in one hand was kunai she also recognized from long ago.

Hinata looked dumbfounded but when Naruto turned to her and flashed a grin she could only smile, "You… You remember the day we met, the day I fell in love with you," she said before she could stop herself. Naruto finally undid the rope that was holding the bento box and smiled at her,

"Yeah I do and I want to say thank you Hinata for always cheering me on and believing in me, you know, you always did and it means a lot to me, believe it!" the blonde grinned happily as he handed her their meal. Hinata smiled while taking the food and blushing profusely,

"Thank you Naruto-kun," she managed to get out while containing her squeals of joy. The pair returned to their previous position and gazed at the moon again. After a while Hinata turned her gaze to her soulmate once again and was surprised to see him staring back,

"Sorry Hinata-hime but you should know, I love you too and you're more beautiful than the moon to me, believe it!" he stated with a loving smile and then gazed at the ground with a sad expression,"I saw your memories and feelings when we had our seals placed and were so much alike when it comes to the pain we've gone through and the hardships we've faced, no one really caring whether we were around or not," Naruto turned his gaze back to her as his sad expression turned into a smile,

"But just know I will always be there for you Hinata-chan, that's a promise, believe it!" the blonde declared with confidence. That was it for Hinata, almost instinctively she leaned her head toward his and closed her eyes, Naruto was shocked at first but he knew what she wanted and he wanted it too so he closed his eyes as well and leaned in.

Their lips met for only a second but it was pure bliss for the two genin but alas that kiss was the Hyuga's girls limit after all she had only been close to her Naruto-kun for a couple weeks as she proceeded to faint into her lover's arms with a content smile on her face. Naruto sighed before looking at her fondly and saying aloud,

"Damn that was fun but I thought we got that out of your system Hinata-chan maybe I'll ask Sakura-chan if a small genjutsu would help, sensei said she had a potential in it after all." Hinata continued to smile in bliss as she mumbled back somehow while still unconscious,

"Will ask Kurenai for Sakura Naru-kun," she replied. Naruto looked at her oddly before laughing, "Thank you my sweet moonlight," he whispered in her ear causing her to shiver and inadvertently hold him tighter. The blonde smiled and pecked her cheek before sprinting down the trail to the village full speed wondering how he was going to sneak by Hinata's prick of a cousin Neji Hyuga.

End of Flashback

* * *

April 13th, 64 AFL

As Naruto gazed at the moon he saw it was just as full as it was during that night and his tears suddenly dried and his look turned to one of determination, "I'm sorry I wasn't there Hinata-chan but I'm going to save you, I promise that on my life, believe it!" He growled out to no one but himself.

Meanwhile Sakura and Kakashi had made their way to the Hokage's office and were explaining the situation to the old man. "I see, Kakashi at dawn, I want you to take Sasuke, Sakura, and Shino to retrieve Naruto-kun and Hinata," the Hokage explained. Sakura sad look turned to one of anger, "In the morning why not now Oji-san," the pinkette wailed as

Shino finally entered the office after dropping his comrade off at the hospital, "Why you ask because you three just got back and are all exhausted from your journey while I need time to figure out why my male insects wouldn't engage them," Shino replied.

"Your male insects?" Kakashi questioned, "Yes the males wouldn't go anywhere near them but luckily the females had no problems, why I'm not sure but it does give us one advantage and Naruto should be meeting up with some help soon," Shino answered cryptically.

The Hokage simply said, "Explain," Shino looked at the old man before starting, "I constantly place female bugs on Kiba and Hinata, why situations like this one. As for what I meant about Naruto my bugs may have not been willing to engage them but they will still track them for me and he should be meeting up with a certain friend of mind to get help locating the Waterfall nin."

The Hokage looked at Shino with a serious expression as he asked, "They were Waterfall nin, are you absolutely sure Shino?" the Hokage questioned. "Yes Lord Hokage, why because their headbands gave them away," Shino explained. The Hokage sighed, "Alright the plan remains the same you three along with Sasuke will start tracking them with your insects at dawn, Shino take Sakura home and make sure she gets inside, Sakura I'll have someone watching your house so don't try anything crazy and wait until morning ok," the Hokage said sternly but trying his best to be sympathetic to the poor cherry blossom, "Ok," she replied through sniffles,

"Alright you two are dismmissed, Kakashi I need a private word," the old man ordered his ninja. As soon as the two genin exited the office the Hokage began, "This report about Naruto troubles me but I think we should assume the fox was trying to manipulate the boy into thinking he was nicer than he obviously is, we should inform Naruto the same thing as we did before, to not trust the beast and avoid using its power at all cost. We can't risk Lord Fourth's seal failing and the nine-tails going on a rampage again. As for the oddity with Naruto's soul seal its possible that Lord Fourth made it so the seals can cut off the connection between a jinchuuriki and it's tailed beast for a moment thereby releasing the jinchuuriki from the tailed beast state, but I can honestly only speculate. Really I have no idea why that occurred but for now let it be, this business with the Waterfall Village troubles me much more," the Hokage stated to the experienced jonin.

"Yes Lord Hokage the Waterfall Village would have to be crazy to risk war with one of the five great hidden villages," Kakashi replied. "Yes and Shino's report described the oldest nin's weapon as medical scalpel," the Hokage answered back. Kakashi looked at him sternly before replying, "Somethings not right this isn't a normal mission for those nin is it,"

"No, I suspect that the red haired shinobi may be manipulating the two younger ones, from Shino's report the two around their age seemed remorseful for the whole ordeal but as shinobi they had to complete their mission," the Hokage explained. "So that's why you wanted us to wait until dawn because those three are acting alone and will not be heading to their village,"

"Yes it's likely he will kill the other two and take Hinata's eyes for himself but he'll need time for that and that gives you all an opportunity to rest and to be able to pursue them at a much faster pace," the Hokage sighed before looking at Lord Fourth's picture, "Besides I have faith in Naruto-kun and Hinata they'll hold out until you get there, now inform Sasuke of the mission and get some sleep, I want you four out of the village and in pursuit by dawn, your dismissed," the Hokage finished with a stern look. "Understood Lord Hokage," Kakashi said as exited the office in order the find the last Uchiha.

Meanwhile Sasuke was indeed practicing on the training fields while Ino watched on silently, 'I know he knows I'm here but he hasn't said anything yet and he seems so angry, what the hell happened on that mission?' the platinum blonde thought. She was suddenly interrupted by Sasuke suddenly yelling, "Damn it, Fuck!" he screamed as he went to his knees.

Ino rushed over a lightly placed a hand on his shoulder as she asked, "What's wrong Sasuke-kun, please you can tell me anything," Ino pleaded to him. Sasuke scowled at her at first but he saw the care and concern in her eyes and it slowly turned into a small frown, "I'm angry Ino," he stated simply. "Angry?" she asked, Sasuke shrugged off her hand before replying,

"Yes I'm angry at Naruto for being stronger than me," he admitted as Ino gasped from the shock but before she could reply Sasuke continued, "I'm angry that he was gifted such an immense power at birth, I'm angry that it's not mine and I still don't have nearly enough strength to avenge my clan, I'm angry that the dobe has both of his soulmates by his side anytime he wants while Karin sits in a fucking cell being torutured and I'm to weak to save her, I'm angry at this village for thinking of us as nothing more than their toys to be used and held back whenever they see fit, bust most of all I'm angry that all these villagers do is laugh and joke when every night that I fall asleep all I can see are the screaming faces of my parents begging for me to avenge them!" Sasuke finally finished nearly breaking down,

"And the worst part is I don't think anyone can understand that, that's why I'm angry Ino," he finally finished while looking at her the slightest hint of tears in his eyes. Sasuke tried turning away in an attempt to leave the blonde but she embraced him from behind just like she had all those years ago.

Sasuke's first instinct was to shove her off but when he felt the genuine affection in Ino's touch he abandoned the idea as she began to whisper in Sasuke's ear, "I understand, I never told you but that day we had our seals placed I saw what Itachi did to you and your parents," she began as Sasuke looked at her his mouth wide open in shock as a tear slowly made its way down his cheek. "And I want you to know that ever since that day my dream became the same as yours, all I want is that evil bastard dead for what he did to our clan," she looked into Sasuke's with her own tears but a sincere smile as she finished, "And that because I love you Sasuke-kun and I won't rest until your nightmares are gone forever and you can finally start dreaming again."

Sasuke broke he turned to face the blonde and his tears poured out, he sunk his head into her chest and she silently pet his raven haired locks as she whispered into his ear, "It's ok Sasuke, It's ok," she repeated while trying to soothe him. Suddenly Sasuke's third tomoe awakened in his left eye but the last Uchiha was too consumed with emotion to notice as he held onto his soulmate as tightly as he possibly could. In a tree above the couple Kakashi just smiled and waited patiently to inform the rookie of the year of their mission in the morning.

Meanwhile the poor pinkette of Team 7 was crying her eyes out in her bed trying to get some sleep. When she saw the clock hit midnight she gave up and went to finish the project she had been working on before the mission to Wave country began. She sat on her bed and set her alarm as she continued to silently work through tears her thoughts and feelings going out to her baka and Hinata.

Just as Sakura resumed her project a bug whizzed by Naruto's face, he thought to swipe it but remembered Shino's specialty and hoped, "Are you one of Shino's?" the blonde asked. The bug flew vertically up and down as if to resemble a nod, Naruto understood the meaning and asked,

"Do you know where Hinata is, can you lead me to her?" the bug flew up and down once again causing Naruto to smile, "Alright then lead the way we'll save Hinata-chan together, believe it!" the blonde knucklehead stated with confidence in his new small comrade. As if responding to the blondes words the bug speed instantly doubled as the insect and jinchuuriki duo finally closed in on the location of the Waterfall nin.

* * *

April 14th, 64 AFL

It was around 12:30 in the morning when the Waterfall nin were preparing to take first watch, they had camped out in a cave just about halfway between the Leaf and Waterfall villages. Mishito had wanted to be first but Fu had just huffed and told him to get some sleep while she watched the princess. Mishito had glared at her but complied and said he would be up around 2:30 to take over which Fu only responded to with another huff.

As Mishito and Soboku drifted off to sleep Hinata managed to regain consciousness although she found she was still completely paralized. Fu noticed her state of awareness and decided to start talking to the shy Hyuga princess.

Hinata revealed a lot about herself and her past and how she had never really been wanted, Fu could sympathize with Hinata's pain afterall the only two people who actually showed her any form of kindness were the Village leader and Soboku and even that wasn't real friendship. Eventually Hinata's words had drifted off to her Naruto-kun and his terrible upbringing,

Fu immediately began to notice the similarities between herself and this Naruto and she asked Hinata without thinking, "Is he like me?" Hinata looked at the blue haired teen a little confused, "What do you mean?" Fu looked back to her teammates who both still appeared to be asleep and then back to Hinata, she sighed and finally asked, "Is he, you know a jinchuuriki like me?"

Hinata's eyes widened in shock but as she saw Fu's look of pain she immediately recognized as a similar face to Nartuo-kun's, Fu was asking Hinata for acceptance as well if Naruto was a jinchuuriki or not. Hinata felt so bad for the girl but she had to know her real reason so she put on a sympathetic look as she asked,

"Why do you want to know is your village after the nine-tails too?" Fu immediately shook her head, "No, I didn't know we were even after the Byakugan until Mishito came to us and told us about it, we left immediately after finding out about the mission and he never told us it was a girl our age we were targeting, the whole thing is just so messed up," Fu said while shedding a tear.

Hinata looked at the girl with sympathy again before saying, "I'll answer your question if you answer one more of mine?" "Ok," Fu replied, Hinata smiled but her look quickly turned solemn as she asked, "There planing on take my eyes, aren't they?" the kind princess asked. Fu's tears started falling and she could only nod her head, Hinata sighed,

"As for yours," Hinata simply smiled and nodded. Fu couldn't help but ask, "How… How did he make so many friends, why doesn't everyone hate him like they do me in my village?" she questioned. Hinata smile grew even bigger,

"Most of the village does but everyone who's his age or younger have no idea what he contains and to be honest once you see who he really is it doesn't really matter anymore, Naruto is Naruto like Fu is Fu, you know," Hinata giggled.

Fu looked at her with a Naruto like smile and tears as she placed a hand on Hinata's, a small beetle crawled out of Hinata's sweater and started rubbing against Fu's finger's, if it was cat you could say it was purring. Fu looked at the beetle curiously before asking without thinking,

"Is this one of Shino-kun's?" the orange eyed girl said. Hinata's eyes widened when she heard that, "How do you know Shino?" Fu looked away from her for a second with a touch of red on her cheeks before looking back and sighing, "The truth is I…" Fu was suddenly cut off by the appearance of a scalpel under her throat.

"Sorry Fu but the truth is I've wanted to kill your ass for a long time and since I've already dealt with Soboku," Mishitio allowed Fu to turn her head enough to see that Soboku was no longer breathing and had appeared to have died in his sleep. "What the fuck did you do to Soboku?" Fu growled out releasing a little seven-tails chakra, just enough to burn Mishito a bit and force him away from her.

"I poisoned him in his sleep and now I only have to deal with you and then that bitch's kekkei genkai will be all mine," Mishito finished with a sadistic look. "So this was all just a bunch of crap then, what the fuck was the actual mission you scumbag!" Fu yelled out but still managing to hold back her tailed beast chakra. Mishito chuckled,

"Here have a look," Mishito chucked a scroll over to Fu as she read it her anger only rose, "We were only supposed to get permision to enter the chunin exams what the fuck where you thinking?" the girl yelled. Mishito just laughed coldly,

"Why would I give a damn about some stupid test, when I have the Bykaugan I'll be able to take over our village thats more than enough for me," Mishito grinned evilily. "Now like I said before, I just have to kill yo…" suddenly a bug came whizzing around Mishito's face, "Damn insects, I fuckin hate bugs," the boy screamed as he flailed his arms around air frantically trying to smash the agitating insect.

Fu and Hinata actually almost began laughing at their foes apparent phobia but definitely broke down when the next thing happened. Suddenly at least a hundred Naruto's came charging into the cave full sprint, "He's not just a bug, he's my comrade, believe it, you bastard!"

Before Mishito could deal with his bug problem the many clones landed several hard blows and kicks to the medical nin and in such a small space there was no chance for any escape from the blonde's brutal assault.

Mishito stood there with a bruised and bloody face, Naruto just scowled at him before turning away and as soon as he did the red haired medic collapsed to the ground face first.

As soon as Mishito was beaten Naruto's clones all poofed away and he sprinted full speed towards Hinata completely missing Fu's presence. "Hinata-chan, I'm so glad you're safe and I'm so sorry I wasn't there to stop them, believe it! Hinata-hime!" as he picked up the shy Hyuga and held her as tightly as his small arms could.

Hinata only smiled and realized she had regained some feeling in her arms so she wrapped them around her soulmate, "It's ok Naruto-kun because I know you'll always come to save me," Hinata stated sweetly. Naruto just began weeping more and held her even tighter,

"Just hold onto me and promise you'll never let go," he said with affection. While Hinata could only blush and smile. Fu looked at the couple fondly before turning her gaze to her two teammates and sighed, Mishito was unconscious while Soboku had been poisoned and died in his sleep,

"He never was a very good fighter medical nin don't have to be but I'm sure he's going to have a fun time in prison for murdering Soboku and betraying the village," Fu said with disdain as she picked up the two boys.

Naruto and Hinata had completely forgotten about the Waterfall nin and the two were simply gazing at the moon outside of the cave, Hinata locked in tightly to Naruto's arms.

The two looked at each other their love and affection burning as they shared a kiss under the moonlight before Naruto leaped into the trees heading back home. Fu followed the pair in order to apologize to the Hokage for the misunderstanding and still hopefully attend this years chunin exams, 'maybe apologize and have a word with Shino-kun before I leave' the blue haired girl thought to herself as she followed the two Leaf nin.

* * *

It was 6:00 am sharp when Team 7 plus Shino were at the gates to Leaf getting ready for their pursuit of the Waterfall nin, "Alright are you all ready to move out," Kakashi asked,

"Yes," Sakura replied sadly, the poor girl hadn't gotten any sleep and was struggling just to keep moving causing Kakashi to sigh. Sasuke gave his confirmation by nodding and said his farewells to Ino who was there to show her support for her friends. Shino replied with a

"No, why you ask because there right there," the bug man stated as he pointed directly down the trail. Sure enough Naruto and Hinata were walking up the trail hand in hand while Fu continued to carry her teammates from a few feet behind.

Sakura's look of despair turned to one of elation as she saw the pair and tackled them to the ground while managing to spit out through tears of joy, "I'm so glad your ok I was so worried about you two, you bakas, believe it!" she wailed. Hinata and Naruto looked at her and smiled and held the cherry blossom tightly, the three of them sharing a warm embrace.

As Kakashi smiled he walked up to Fu and her teammates, she gave a Naruto like smile and silently followed him to the Hokage's office.

Sasuke and Ino watched the Uzumaki-Namikaze's warm embrace and smiled for their friends but quietly walked away without saying a word. Eventually the trio broke and Sakura just looked at the two before pulling something out of her bag and handing it to Hinata,

"Sorry I didn't get it finished before we left on that mission but this is for you Hinata," the cherry blossom said to her lavender eyed counterpart. Hinata slowly opened the package and when she saw it, she immediately began shedding tears of joy.

Sakura had made her a lavender colored cloak with moons on the bottom and cuffs, on her back were the Uzumaki and Hyuga symbols, "Sorry I couldn't use your symbol Hinata but you know that really does have to stay a secret," Sakura said with a smile.

"Thank you Sakura it's amazing I love it," the Hyuga princess said with a smile.  
Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze looked at his two soulmates with a loving smile before the three embraced each other again, the past few months had been a journey for all of them and now they look to the future together.

* * *

**An: First Real NaruHina centered chapter hope you like it this also wrapped up the first arc completely so now the chunin exams will be coming up next chapter and hopefully we'll get to the start of the second exam in one chapter but we will see**

**I want to apologize for how similar the dates with Sakura and Hinata ended up being that is entirely my fault although I think I kept the two relationship separate and Naruto's motivation for Hinata's date which was his idea as an apology to her for always missing her and I stressed that point even more this ark. Not his fault but it would still dwell on the baka's mind while I honestly did forget Sakura's birthday and went oh fuck, fuck what is the writer going to do it actually worked out really well with Haku and Naruto and Sakura**

**I thought about the bridge name a lot but I figured I could stress the point he hasn't been there and kinda forgotten about Hinata even more, again not his fault he's just stuck with Sakura more of the time**

**Yes I did go with Fu/Shino if you don't like that I'm sorry but like I said planned from the beginning and she was a decent choice that was easy enough to develop based on their similarities No I did not watch season nineteen and I apologize if Fu is not how you remembered but from what info I could gather she was basically a female Naruto and I went with that this techinqually is an Au and I reserve that right**

**Mishito name is derived from the Japanese word for Oculist, Meisha**  
**Soboku name is from the Japanese word for Naive, Sobokuna  
They were my Oc's if you liked them sorry there gone  
Also yea sorry Mishito got wrecked so easily but figured we could use a slightly lighter chapter after Naruto fucked up Haku against his will**

**Gunner I want to thank you personally for your reviews Shika/Tema is on it's way soon and I promise and I hope I don't disappoint you**

**I hate that I have start turning Sasuke into a jealous prick but teme got to start being a teme somewhere and it was Naruto's defeat of Haku that started that shit he will not be a total asshole though he will just start slowly pushing them away Sasuke is also getting tomoe like crazy I know but it was his mix of love and hatred of Itachi that first awakened the sharingan and Kishi-sensei stated that an Uchiha's eyes change when they experience great love or great hate. His care for Karin and hatred of Ochimarua caused the reawakening, Sasuke was thinking about Itachi when he was sparring with Naruto when he got his first, second tomoe although I didn't cover that in detail, Sasuke got the other second tomoe when he thought his best female friend Sakura was in danger and he got this one for the love he's beginning to feel towards Ino as well as her love for him **

**Also Hinata and Sakura are total angels especially in this story but they will still be badass kunoichi when the time comes and the only reason she lost was because it was two on one**

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter haven't mentioned this yet but this is the first story that I have ever tried writing whether you can easily see that or not and this story is mainly for my own entertainment although I definitely plan to finish it**

**it is definitely a long road ahead and I intend to break this up into books this one the first one we'll probably end after the chunin exam finals and the second will likely begin the search for tsunade saga but again we have a long way to go before that**

**Thank You All and have a Wonderful New Year**


	10. The First Exam

**Chapter 10: The First Exam**

* * *

May 28th, 64 AFL

Team 7 had just completed another day of training when Naruto and Sakura finally decided enough was enough, "Sasuke why don't we go have a spar or get some food as a team, you know," the blonde smiled at his raven haired comrade. Sakura decided to add her own two cents,

"Yeah, please Sasuke, you and Ino haven't hung out with us in over a month now. Ever since we got back from the Land of Waves both of you have been so distant, we just want things to go back to the way they were before, believe it," the pinkette said with concern. Sasuke was walking away but turned his face to reply with a scowl,

"No, you're both weak, annoying and a waste of space. I honestly wish you two would just piss off and leave me alone," the Uchiha barked. He turned down the road toward the training fields, while Sakura could only sigh her baka responded to the Uchiha's rudeness, "Fine be that way, screw you too, believe it!" Naruto replied angrily as his rival disappeared from view.

Sakura grabbed Naruto by the hand diverting the blonde's annoyance and causing his attention to turn to his cherry blossom, "Let's head to Ichiraku's maybe we can come with a plan to get through to him after a light meal," Sakura said while smiling at him. Naruto smiled back as the two made their way to the small restaurant Naruto started to chuckle,

"Oh what may I ask is so funny my baka?" Sakura said with a bit of annoyance in her voice and a vein on her forehead. Naruto looked at her fondly before replying, "So is a small meal thirty bowls between us or fifty, I can't remember Sakura-chan, you know I was never good with numbers,"

Sakura's annoyance slowly shifted into giggles, "Yea fair point it's amazing though, no matter how much I eat, I'm not really gaining weight, I thought for sure I'd get fat but if anything I'm stronger than ever," Sakura said with pride as the couple finally arrived at their destination. As they took their seats Naruto responded,

"That's because ramen makes you strong Sakura-chan, believe it!" the blonde said with pride and a goofy grin and that's when the pair heard a familiar giggle, "Actually Naruto-kun it's probably all going to her chakra network and muscles, wish I had gotten that trait I can barely hold down three bowls," Hinata said with a smile as she sat on the other side of the blonde.

"Hinata-chan it's so good to see you," Naruto said with glee as he gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank you Naruto-kun but you've come to visit me every day since that incident with those Waterfall nin, I just hope your not neglecting Sakura, you'll let me know right," Hinata said with a blush while sharing a conspiratorial grin with her pink haired counterpart.

Sakura matched her grin as she replied, "He's been attentive enough and he was very very sweet and brave during our first mission," the pinkette gave Naruto a peck on the cheek before she continued, "But I won't lie, I'm glad I finally was able to convince Kurenai sensei to help me with my genjutsu and the extra time he's spent with you helped me manage that," Sakura finished with a smirk.

The Namikaze pair looked at her as Naruto asked with a few noodles in his mouth, "So what did you learn Sakura-chan?" he asked curiously. She smiled at the two mischievously before replying, "You'll just have to wait and see," Sakura replied. Hinata smile suddenly turned into a frown as she realized someone was still missing from their group,

"So Sasuke still isn't going to hangout or train with us?" the Hyuga heiress asked with a pained look. She knew how important Sasuke was to Naruto and Sakura and in months she had trained with him and Ino she had grown quite fond of the pair herself. Both Uzumaki's sunk their heads in sorrow,

"No…" they both replied. Hinata looked at them sadly but only responded with, "I see," The trio finished their order of forty-seven bowls and began wandering the village together Naruto's hands locked with his two soulmates when an odd looking box bumped into him from behind. The trio turned around and Naruto began laughing,

"Ok Konohamaru, I've seen bad disguises but this one definitely takes the cake, believe it!" the blonde said with a smile as he released the two girls and picked up the box, revealing Konohamaru and two other small children, a girl with orange hair and a dopey looking boy with glasses. "Just what I'd expect from my rival boss!" Konohamaru said with pride but as he saw his friend interlock his hand with two beautiful girls he began to snicker. Konohamrau walked up to Naruto and started lightly elbowing him in the chest,

"So boss is that what mastery of pervy ninjutsu looks like, getting two girlfriends I mean," Konohamaru asked with a devilish grin. Naruto began to chuckle but it quickly stopped as he felt not one but two death glares going his way. The blonde fool slowly turned his head to left and met Sakura's demonic eyes, "Pervy!"

'Crap!' Naruto thought as he turned his head to face Hinata's direction. Unfortunately her glare was even scarier with her Byakugan active, "Ninjutsu!" the hyuga princess actually shouted angrily. 'Double crap!' Naruto thought as he turned his head again to face the boy who had revealed his darkest and most dangerous shinobi arts.

"Konohamaru, screw you," were the blondes last words as he was sent flying into the boy by his two loves beautiful fist's. The pair of knuckleheads landed in a wooden fence but Konohamaru was the first to recover, "Kami I thought they were cute but their witches just look at that girl's scary eyes and the other ones wide forehead!"

Naruto looked at the boy who had proclaimed to battle him for the title of Hokage in shock, he honestly was caught by three emotions, pride in the boys bravery, disappointment in his stupidity and anger at insulting his Hinata-hime and Sakura-hime. These all gave way when Naruto saw even Hinata sigh, he slowly turned his gaze to Sakura,

'yup if she was the nine-tails jinchuuriki we'd be soooo fucking dead right now,' the blonde boy thought. He was snapped out of his trance by Sakura suddenly sprinting full speed toward him and the grandson of the Third. Konohamaru quickly found his feet and began running from the exploding cherry blossom but he quickly crashed into another person wearing a black and baggy full body jumpsuit.

Naruto and Hinata quickly rushed to follow the pair but when they found the boy held by his collar by the unknown person, Naruto shouted, "Let him go you bastard!" "Yea please, it was my fault and I'm sorry but there's no reason to hurt him now put him down," Sakura added. The person who was holding the honorable grandson turned his head to face the trio,

"I just wanted to play with him a little, is that so wrong?" the boy was revealed to be wearing face paint as he replied cheerfully. Naruto's anger grew, "I said let him g…" Hinata waved her hand in front of Naruto to cut him as she started to speak, "You better do as Naruto-kun says, you wouldn't want to be disqualified before the exam begins, right sand nin," Hinata said sternly her glare not leaving the now apparent sand ninja.

The boy matched her glare and looked like he was about to release the boy when he suddenly reared his fist, "Sorry but I hate brats who don't respect their elders," he yelled but before his fist collided it stopped. Suddenly he released the boy and patted his head, "Now go run along now," he said oddly.

Konohamaru eyed him suspiciously but quickly ran over to Naruto and hid behind the blonde. Suddenly the boy stumbled a bit before blurting out, "What the fuck was that, it's like I was trapped inside my own mind?" the boy said a little shaken. "You should know when you're outclassed sand nin," a familiar voice from above said, "That's right now back off," a stern male voice added.

All of the individuals on the ground turned their gaze up to see a beautiful platinum blond and a raven haired boy smiling smugly while standing in a tree. The boy started scowling at Sasuke and Ino but the dirty blonde haired girl with four pigtails standing next to him asked, "What did you do to Kankuro, if I may ask?" Ino smirked then looked to Sasuke before seeing him nod.

"That would be my mind transfer fancy trick, right," Ino replied with a smile. "I see, that's troublesome," the girl suddenly covered her mouth before opening it again with a, "Kami damn it, why can't I stop saying that, what a fucking drag," the girl coverd her mouth again before opening it and finishing with a loud, "Fuck my life!"

Most of the individuals ignored her rant as Kankuro began glaring at the last of the Uchiha clan. He quickly readied the long package on his back ready to reveal his unseen weapon when he suddenly heard a voice and stopped, "Kankuro enough, you're a disgrace to our village and if you piss me off again, I'll kill you," the voice stated calmly.

Everyone turned their heads toward the sound of the voice and the owner was revealed to be a red haired boy with a tattoo on his forehead, he was standing in the same tree as Ino and Sasuke but was on a different branch, "But Gaara…" Kankuro tried to compromise but the boy stopped that dead with the ice in his voice, "Have you forgotten the reason we came here, if you don't shut the fuck up, I'm going to kill you," the boy repeated again calmly.

That was enough for Kankuro to relent, "Ok I'm sorry Gaara," "Yea were really really sorry Gaara," the blonde haired girl on the ground added. "I'm sorry for my teammates," Gaara stated to Sasuke as he disappeared in a swirl and reappeared in between Kankuro and the unknown girl. "And if you keep speaking Temari, I'll kill you as well," Gaara finished as he turned and started leaving, his two teammates closely behind.

"Wait!" Sakura said her curiosity getting the better of her, "It's true we have a treaty with the Sand but you can't just cross the border without permission, what are you doing here?" the pinkette questioned causing Hinata to giggle and all faces to turn to her, "Seriously Sakura you call Naruto-kun your baka but you can be one too sometimes, there obviously here for the chunin exams," Hinata said matter of factly.

"Oh that makes sense, Naruto-kun remind me to kill sensei later for not telling us, ok," Sakura said sweetly albeit a bit angry she was missing important information. Temari looked back at the group and chuckled, "That's right, it's a drag but where here for the exams just like, well I assume some of you are taking," she finished but as the team of sand nin tried to depart, again they were interrupted by Ino and Sasuke suddenly jumping down from the tree they were occupying.

"What's your Name?" Sasuke's question was directed at the redhead of their group. Gaara slowly turned to face the last Uchiha as he replied, "Gaara, Gaara of the Sand," he answered. Sasuke smirked at him before replying, "I'm Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha," he said proudly. Gaara and Sasuke shared an intense stare before the sand nin finally disappeared,

"That wasn't bad teme and you too Ino," Naruto replied honestly and with a foxy grin, "Yea Ino, Sasuke that was amazing, believe it, why don't we go train together," Sakura added hopefully. Ino and Sasuke actually turned and glared at the trio, "Like I said earlier, leave us alone," Sasuke replied flatly and the two Uchiha's made their departure.

Naruto and Sakura sunk their heads in confusion and sadness at the fact that their best friends now seemed to completely hate them. What they didn't know, was that as soon as the two Uchiha found a private area Ino had collapsed in tears into Sasuke's shirt. "I'm sorry Ino," Sasuke stated honestly. Ino looked up to him and shook her tears away,

"No it's better this way if we got any closer than we already did, we both know what you would have to do eventually and I refuse to let that happen," Sasuke looked at her sympathetically before embracing her and holding her closely, "I know thank you Ino for understanding and keeping my darkest secret," Ino still had liquid in her eyes but she was blushing, when she leaned up and kissed his right cheek. Sasuke just smiled as they got up and headed toward the training field ready for another hard day of training, unbeknownst to the couple they were being watched by unfriendly eyes.

* * *

May 30th, 64 AFL

Team 7 were up early in the morning for team meetings as usual and as usual their sensei had been roughly three hours late, "Where the hell have you been!" Naruto and Sakura screamed at their sensei when he finally did arrive. Kakashi looked at them fondly but decided it was best to skip the usual excuse and get on to the good news,

"Alright I was actually planning on surprising you three but since you all already found out about the exam anyway, here are your permission slips," Kakashi finished as he handed his team three forms. Naruto and Sakura shared a grin and turned their attention to Sasuke and were able to detect the smallest smile on his lips before he saw their eyes and quickly turned away scowling.

The Uzumaki's could only sigh as Kakashi started to speak again, "Since all three of you begged I assume all of you are more than ready and willing so, be at the academy first thing in the morning and don't be late and if you suddenly feel if the pressure is too much for you, it's ok to quit there's always next year," the jonin finished.

Sasuke scowled at him but Naruto only grinned, "Please we're gonna pass easily, then Oji-san will see how strong I am and he'll finally hand the Hokage title to me, believe it!" the blonde stated loudly to his teammates. Sakura smiled while Sasuke slowly disappeared behind a corner leaving his friends to their own devices.

"You know it's never gonna be that easy my baka," Sakura said while giving him a soft love tap to his cranium and then grabbing his hand. The pair made their way to Naruto's apartment to read over their permission slips and prepare for the exam that would begin tomorrow.

* * *

June 1st, 64 AFL

Early the next morning Naruto and Sakura arrived at the academy seeing their brooding teammate waiting for them, "Hey teme you ready," Naruto said with a grin. "Yea Sasuke were totally going to become chunin, Cha!" Sakura agreed while slamming her fist up into the air. Sasuke just looked at the pair before scoffing and heading towards the academy,

"Come on dobes, I already know that" he replied flatly. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and shared a frown but walked up to both sides of the Uchiha letting him lead the charge. The three quickly entered a hallway they thought to be the right one but Sakura pulled both of her boys ears to her mouth as she whispered,

"It's a genjutsu, were only on the second floor, let's keep moving," she stated confidently. Naruto nodded with a smile and gave her a peck on the cheek while Sasuke only grunted and the three proceeded to the third floor. Unfortunately for them the trio's path was quickly blocked by a boy with bushy eyebrows and green spandex. There was also a brown haired girl styled into two buns standing too his right, on his left was someone Naruto had come to know and grow a disdain towards ever since his relationship with his Hinata-chan began, Neji Hyuga.

"So Uzumaki-san this is your teammate Sasuke Uchiha that I've heard so much about," Neji said smugly. Naruto and Sakura scowled at Neji with disdain, they knew how he treated Hinata and it was worse than the majority of the other members of her clan. "Fuck off Neji we don't have time for you and your destiny bull crap today, come on let's go guys," Naruto said as he grabbed Sakura's hand and began leading her to the exam room but when Sasuke didn't follow the pair stopped.

"Sasuke Uchiha my name is Rock Lee, I'd like to test my skills against you and your legendary clan, if you don't mind," the boy in green asked. Sasuke smirked, "Sure why not, let's go," Sasuke said and turned down the hall towards the sparring area. Naruto and Sakura started chuckling as Lee began following the last Uchiha he turned to face the pair giving them a curious look,

"What's so funny?" Lee asked. Naruto stopped chuckling and looked at his new acquaintance with a smile, "It's just your screwed bushy brows," Neji and Tenten chuckled themselves while Lee gave a classic nice guy poise, "If your so sure then come and see," he grinned and the two teams made their way to sparring area together. Naruto and Sakura took a seat on Sasuke's side while Lee's team took a side on his,

"You think Sasuke will be ok Naruto, they seem awfully confident," Sakura asked her baka. Naruto looked at Neji then the two preparing to spar before facing Sakura, "I've never sparred with Neji, he said I wasn't worth it, freakin prick, but I do know he's the strongest on his team, so honestly I have no idea how strong Lee is, we'll just have to see for ourselves," Naruto stated and then blurted out angrily,

"What the hell teme you just accept a fight with someone you don't even know but whenever I ask you just tell me to screw off!" he growled out angrily. Sasuke turned to his teammate, "Because your a waste of my time," he stated turned to his opponent once again. "Damn you teme!" Naruto growled out once again but it was quickly replaced with purs from Sakura petting his whiskered cheeks.

Sakura glared at Sasuke before frowning, 'What the fuck is going on with you Sasuke, why are you acting like this?' the pinkette thought more in concern than in anger. Sasuke just huffed before turning to face Lee, "So you want to fight me even knowing who I am, you're even dumber than the dobes behind me," Lee smiled before getting into a fighting stance,

"You should know only Neji is stronger than me among all of the Leaf's genin," Lee replied. Sasuke gave a cocky grin, "You won't last five minutes against me," Sasuke stated and suddenly charged Lee full force. The last Uchiha tried a kick to the midsection but Lee dodged it easily and responded with a kick of his own, "**Leaf Hurricane!**" he shouted. Sasuke was too slow to dodge without his sharingan active so he tried to block but Lee's attack came too fast for the last Uchiha, breaking through his guard and landing a devastating blow to his face knocking him back but Sasuke landed on his hands and flipped himself backward so he was on his feet again.

'Damn him, how did he get through my guard?' the Uchiha thought angrily but then suddenly smirked, "Fine you want to face the power of Uchiha, then allow me to show you our kekkei genkai, **Sharingan!**" suddenly Sasuke's black pupils turned red and his eyes in total had five tomoe between them.

"Alright Sasuke now use your sharingan to kick his ass!" Naruto shouted still trying to get through to his friend. "Yeah, no one can beat you now, believe it," Sakura added. Sasuke smirked while facing away from his friends but redirected his attention to his opponent. "Now your mine," Sasuke charged Lee with his sharingan this time but Lee managed to dodge Sasuke's strike again landing another brutal kick on the last Uchiha, although he was able to able to soften the blow by getting one of his arms up to cover his face. The force of Lee's blow sent Sasuke's several feet in the air with Lee quickly chasing him down by jumping and landing another kick to Sasuke's midsection,

"I hate kekkei genkai's because there something you're born with, people think that if they have that they are already an expert ninja. But me, I trained my ass off everyday to get to where I am now and the difference in our strength is apparent, to say it simply my flames of hard-work outweigh your natural gifts. Allow me to show you just how much," Lee said as he appeared behind Sasuke but before he could execute his unknown attack Lee heard his sensei's voice,

"Enough Lee what have I told you about that jutsu," the man was dressed in a matching jumpsuit to Lee's and had even bushier eyebrows stated before gazing at Team 7 with a grin. Sasuke landed on his feet and slowly made his way back to his teammates, "It was a good fight," Sakura said trying to console him but he just scowled at her causing the pinkette to frown. Naruto looked at the two before their team's attention was redirected by the unknown man's shouting,

"Lee, you Idiot!" while punching his younger twin in the face causing him to fly a few feet before landing on the ground. Lee immediately recovered and began pleading with his sensei, "Please Gai senesi I'm so sorry," Lee cried into his teacher's jumpsuit. Gai quickly embraced his student before releasing him and saying, "It's ok Lee but this transgression can't go unpunished, after the exam I want you to do five hundred laps around the practice arena,"

"Yes Gai sensei!" Lee responded, adding a salute for dramatic effect. Gai once again turned his attention to Team 7 who were eyeing him oddly, the bushy browed sensei grinned before asking, "So how's Kakashi?" "You know sensei?" Naruto asked in curiosity. Gai chuckled before answering, "Know him…" Gai suddenly disappeared and before Team 7 could blink the man was behind them,

"He's my rival," Gai replied proudly. "And just so you know I'm stronger than your sensei too," Gai suddenly turned to his team, "You three head up to exam room!" Lee, Neji and Tenten all nodded before heading back upstairs to the third floor. Gai faced Kakashi's three genin again before shouting,

"Do your best and keep you're flames of youth burning!" and with that the odd sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto turned to Sasuke before scowling at him, "He's got a point you know we used to train all the time together but you've been avoiding us like we're a disease," the blonde stated matter a factly and then continued as Sasuke began staring at his teammate with a scowl of his own,

"I'll kill him next time!" the Uchiha growled out. Naruto chuckled, "Yeah right, that's not what I saw and besides you fought him, you saw his hands," "Naruto I think you made your point," Sakura said before placing a hand on the blondes shoulders asking him nicely to stop. Naruto looked at Sakura and she was surprised to see a frown on her baka's face,

"I'm not saying Sasuke's weak but that bushy browed freak probably train's his ass off twenty-four seven, even harder than we do, Sakura-chan," Sakura looked at both of her boys with worry until both Uzumaki's heard Sasuke's chuckle for the first time in weeks,

"The chunin exams huh, things are finally starting to get interesting around this dump," Sasuke stated. Sakura and Naruto shared a grin as Sasuke turned back to his teammates, "Naruto, Sakura, let's do this," Sasuke stated with determination, "Believe it!" Naruto stated happily. Sakura took Naruto's hand and suddenly grabbed Sasuke's before he could stop her and held it tighter than necessary actually causing the last Uchiha to wince but there was no way he was getting out of this.

"Come on boys let's go or we'll be late," she stated happily leading her two teammates to the exam room while humming sweetly. The trio made their way to the third floor and were surprised to find their sensei standing at the door to the test area, "Good you're all here but since you three all requested the permission forms anyway I kinda figured you would be," Kakashi said honestly and then continued,

"I'm very proud of all three of you, you've all come along way in the last few months and I believe in you, now good luck," the jonin finished while opening the door for them. Team 7 shared a smile as they entered the room the future Hokage stating proudly, "Here we go were going to be chunin, believe it!"

* * *

The trio entered the room together and were surprised by the vast amount of other participants, "Wow, there's a lot of other people here huh guys," Sakura stated. Suddenly Sasuke felt a tap on his shoulder, he slowly turned around to find Ino grinning at him, "Glad to see you Sasuke-kun," Ino stated sweetly.

Sasuke actually showed a sincere smile causing Sakura and Naruto to share a grin even if they couldn't get through to their friend at least someone could make him genuinely smile, "Hey Ino, it's good to see you too," he replied in a slightly softer tone than usual.

"So Ino says you've improved Naruto, troublesome," a familiar voice said. Naruto turned his head to see two of his old friends that he used to ditch class with at the academy, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. Naruto smiled at his old friends before walking over, "Yeah Shikamaru, I'm super strong now, believe it!" the blonde replied a little cockily.

"There you guys are!" a new voice suddenly barked out, Teams 7 and 10 turned their heads to see three familiar faces, Kiba, Shino and Hinata. "Looks like the rookie 9 are together again," Kiba chuckled while walking up to his friends. "Sakura, Naruto-kun!" Hinata stated aloud and quickly wrapped her pink haired friend in a hug before releasing her and embracing her Naruto-kun and adding a kiss on the cheek,

"It's good to see you Hinata-hime," Naruto said while looking at the Hyuga princess affectionately and then looked around to glance at the rest of his classmates, "It's good to see all of you, believe it," the blonde said happily. Kiba smirked before trying to take a jab at his friend, "Naruto I don't care how strong Hinata says you've gotten I'm still going to beat you if it comes to that,"

Naruto actually glared at his friend before replying, "I hope you've gotten stronger for Hinata-hime's sake at least," he turned to his sweet moonlight and pecked her three times on both cheeks, "If you need me at anytime Hinata-hime just let me know and we'll come to help ok," the blonde stated affectionately and Hinata could only smile.

"Well you two are as cute as I remember," another familiar voice said, Hinata turned her head and saw Fu appear out of the crowd and walk up to the rookie 9. "Hey Hinata, Naruto no long time no see," Fu said innocently enough. "Hi Fu-san it's good to see you again," Hinata replied while Naruto looked at her oddly before asking,

"Who are you again?" Hinata and Fu fell over backwards but Hinata got to her feet first as she sighed, "Naruto-kun, Fu-san is the one I told you about, you know the one who was kind to me when I was kidnapped by those waterfall nin a little over a month ago," "Oh right thanks that means a lot to us, believe it!" Fu got back to her feet and nodded politely,

"Don't mention it, I'm sorry I got sucked into that crappy mission but it did give me the opportunity to…" Fu glanced over Shino's way before finishing, "You know what we can continue this later, ok see ya," the blue haired girl said before scooting over to Shino and engaging in small talk. Suddenly Naruto's attention was diverted by a gray haired boy with glasses approaching the group,

"You're causing quite the buzz, you know it's rare to have rookies at the exams and you're the first in five years," the boy stated to the group. Ino scowled at the boy before asking, "And who are you supposed to be?" The boy smiled a devilish grin before replying,

"Kabuto, you should really watch out everyone's on edge waiting for the exam to begin, you rookies have it so easy thinking you know everything," "So this is your second time at least?" Sakura questioned. Kabuto chuckled, "Close, Seventh," he replied calmly. "Maybe I can offer you a little help with…" Kabuto suddenly pulled out several stacks of blank paper, "My Ninja Info Cards," he said smugly.

"Those contain information about other shinobi?" Sasuke questioned while scowling at him, he knew exactly who this was because of the memories he had received from Karin, the day their seals were set but he decided to play the gray haired pricks game and then maybe torture him for information after the exam officially started. "Yes," Kabuto replied, "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Gaara of the Sand, Rock Lee, and Karin Uzumaki," Sasuke said calmly while glaring at him. Naruto and Sakura looked at him puzzled as to who this Karin Uzumaki was and how she was related to Naruto's mother but they decided to reserve their questions for later, maybe Kabuto's card would satisfy their curiosity.

Kabuto smiled evilly before pulling up the first card, "Rock Lee husband of Tenten Lee, he's a year older than your group and currently has twenty D-ranks and two C-ranks, he's a taijutsu specialist and his sensei is Might Gai, this is first time as well and is teammates are Tenten Lee and Neji Hyuga," Kabuto finished.

Naruto began chuckling causing all eyes to turn to him, "What, my baka is so funny?" Sakura questioned, "Just pull up my card when your done with Sauske's request, ok Kaubto,"

Sasuke glared at him before Kabuto chuckled himself, "Ok Naruto-kun, let's see, next is Gaara of the Sand, he's the same age as you, D-ranks unknown, holy shit, eight C-ranks and one B-rank as a genin and what's crazier it's says he's never had a scratch on him. Shikamaru sighed,

"What a drag, he's a monster, how troublesome," he said not really feeling like dying today way too much effort. Kabuto looked through his cards before smiling and looking toward Sasuke, "Sorry Sasuke-kun but it appears I don't have a card for Karin Uzumaki," Kabuto said feigning sympathy.

"Fine!" Sasuke huffed in annoyance, he knew Kabuto was lying but couldn't do shit about it yet… "Just pull up the dobes card, I want to see what he was bragging about," Sasuke stated angry and annoyed. Kabuto grinned before pulling out Naruto's card,

"Alright, Naruto Uzumaki, husband of Sakura Haruno Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga Uzumaki, sensei is Kakashi Hatake, teammates Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno Uzumaki," Kabuto looked at him before nodding,

"Not bad twenty-five D-ranks as a genin and two C-ranks," While the rest of the rookie nine looked at him astonished, minus Sakura and Hinata. Sasuke looked at him angrily before shouting, "How!?" Naruto thought is friend would be impressed but he just sighed,

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu combined with my Transformation Jutsu, I would send clones of us too Oji-san's office to pick up an extra mission every now and again and since I was impersonating you and Sakura-chan I assume you got rewarded for those missions too, how did you not notice the extra ryo going into your pay, Sakura did you know," the blonde replied.

Sasuke's anger dispersed a little, he was wondering why extra ryo was going into his account but he had just said fuck it, he wasn't complaining. The last Uchiha sighed before asking, "And what about the other C-rank obviously the Land of Waves counted as a C-rank because it was billed that way but how in the hell did you get another mission that was that dangerous without me?" he questioned.

Naruto looked over to Hinata before turning to face him, "Since I saved Hinata alone and technically prevented the Byakugan from being stolen, Oji-san decided to classify it as a solo C-rank for me, although that may have been so I could get the extra ryo," the blonde admitted.

Sasuke huffed, "Whatever dobe, thanks for the ryo but I didn't ask for your help," "Damn ungrateful teme," Naruto growled out but Hinata and Sakura just appeared next to him and began their tactic of calming the hyperactive ninja down slowly petting his whiskered cheeks until the blonde's face appeared to be in a state of utter bliss.

Sakura looked to Kabuto as she continued to comfort her soulmate and smirked, "So everyone here is like Gaara then, elite shinobi, Sasuke, Naruto-kun this is your chance to get a whole lot stronger, believe it! The pinkette stated happily. Naruto regained his senses at Sakura's words and slowly walked a few steps forward before pointing to everyone in the room and shouting as loud as his twelve year old lungs could screech,

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and these are my friends the rookie nin…" the blonde stopped abruptly as he saw Fu cuddling next to Shino's side rubbing her head up and down his shoulder, while the boy stood their with an unreadable expression thanks to his shades and ridiculously over-sized collar but the slightest hint of red on his cheeks,

"OK then let me start over, my name is Naruto Uzumaki and these are friends the rookie 10 and were all going to kick your asses, believe it!" the blonde wailed happily and confidently. Hinata and Sakura smiled at the blonde while the others in the group smirked in approval Ino whispered into Sakura's ear,

"Your bakas' going to get us all killed but I actually agree with him," she said while wearing a cocky grin. Sakura suddenly realized Ino had engaged in conversation for the first time in weeks and tried desperately to get what information she could out of the former gossip queen,

"Hey Ino do you know who Karin Uzumaki is, the person Sasuke was curious about I mean?" she asked but knew she made a mistake when Ino's smile turned into a glare, "No," she replied flatly, "Oh," was the cherry blossoms response as she hung her head down. Ino kept herself together but on the inside she was dying, she hated seeing Sakura this upset, "I'm sorry Sakura but just drop it ok it's none of your business worry about how your baka just made himself the biggest target here," the platinum blonde replied with far less malice in her voice. Sakura looked up at her and then to Naruto,

"Shit, you're right," she stated and ran over to her baka's side to try and calm him down again. In the group of shinobi residing in the room, three ninja from Otogakure snickered, "They'll get what's coming to them soon enough," a boy with bandages covering his face said to his two teameates. They shared an evil grin before everyone in the rooms attention was diverted by the arrival of the proctors. At the front was a tall man with several scars covering his face,

"My name Morino Ibiki and I'll be your head proctor for the first exam and just so all of you know, there will be no fighting unless you are instructed and the taking of any life will result in you and your teams immediate failure. Any of you little scumbags that think to defy my order will have hell to pay!" he barked out.

The genin in the room all looked at with Ibiki in mix of fear and interest as he continued, "Now get ready it's time to start the written test," the scary instructor finished. Sasuke and Sakura both turned to Naruto who was actually thinking the same thing, 'Crap!'

* * *

A few minutes later Team 7 along with the other participants were sorted into different seats scattered around a classroom. Naruto was happy his Hinata-chan had been assigned a seat next to him but inside he was shitting bricks. The blonde had never excelled at written work and even with Sakura drilling information into his head constantly now, the baka's poor brain didn't function like that. Naruto was suddenly torn from his thoughts by Hinata's words,

"Don't worry Naruto-kun if worst comes to worst you can cheat off of me, ok," Hinata stated sweetly. Naruto smiled before giving her hand a tight squeeze, "No Hinata-hime I'm not a cheater and I would never want you and your team to get in trouble for my sake," the blonde replied honestly. The Naimkaze's conversation was suddenly interrupted by Ibik's shouting,

"Alright listen up and no questions, Rule 1 you all start with 10 points, for each question you answer wrong we will subtract one point from your total score, Rule 2 if one teammate fails all three fail," All three members of Team 7 slammed their heads down to their desks and shared a team a groan, it would've been cute if they weren't so screwed.

"Rule 3, If a proctor catches any of you cheating we'll subtract two points from each member of that person's teams total score. If you really want to become chunin start acting like it," Ibiki smirked and added, "Oh and if one person should fail all members of that team automatically fail as well,"

Team 7 once again slammed their heads into their individual desks again and silently echoed, "Crap!" "You have one hour, now start!" Ibik suddenly announced. Sasuke and Sakura began working frantically while the blonde knucklehead kept his composure he was shitting bricks on the inside.

As he read over the test he was only able to answer two of the questions before all three members of Team 7 realized at the same time, 'They want us to cheat,' they determined with varying reactions.

Sasuke suddenly activated his sharingan and started copying as many others as possible by the stroke of their pens. Sakura was able to answer all of the questions on the test but was in deep worry for her baka. Naruto just sat there grinning like the fool he was,

'Well I'm screwed,' he thought, he actually couldn't believe his helplessness. As the other testing genin starting using their shinobi arts, only Sakura and Hinata were able to answer all of the questions on the test honestly albeit difficulty. As soon as Ino saw her rival drop her pen and start staring in concern at Naruto-baka she snickered,

'I always did love that big beautiful brain of yours forehead, now let me put it to good use, **Mind Transfer Jutsu!**' Ino suddenly collapsed face first into her desk as her consciousness invaded Sakura's mind. Unfortunately for Ino she was greeted by an unexpected presence,

"Um, who the hell are you?" Ino asked the figure that appeared to be Sakura but was definitely not the Sakura she always knew. Inner Sakura smirked, "I've been working on my genjutsu pig and the results show, now I don't care if you steal my answers but you better pass them to my sweet Naru-kun or you'll regret it, believe it!" she yelled out angrily.

'Wow, whatever this personality is, she's got it bad, no wonder Sakura has to keep her suppressed,' Ino thought, she looked at the other version of Sakura who was tapping her foot and glaring at her in annoyance. Ino sighed before replying, "That's more than fair, now give me control forehead!" Ino said.

Inner Sakura smirked before vanishing and letting Ino take full control and allowing her to memorize her answers. Ino completed the task quickly and passed the answers on to her teammates and Naruto-baka which resulted in the blonde knucklehead blinking twice at the now filled out exam paper and smirking,

"Well guess I'm smarter than I thought, believe it!" he said aloud and with a cocky grin causing Ino and inner Sakura to slam their heads into their desks in frustration at the Uzumaki's ignorance. Several teams began dropping like flies, failure to the right and to the left but the rookie 10 stood strong and soon the exam only had fifteen minutes remaining.

"Alright you worms, it's time for the tenth question, and just so you know, I'll be adding a new rule," Ibiki smiled before finishing, "If you refuse the question you and your teammates will automatically fail but if you accept the question and get it wrong, you will never be permitted to enter the chunin exams again!" Ibiki finished sternly.

"That's insane!" Kiba barked, "Their are dozens of applicants here who have taken the exams more than once," the boy tried reasoning with the terrifying proctor. Ibiki stared at the Inuzuka coldly before replying, "Tough shit, I wasn't the proctor for those other exams and I make the rules. If you don't have the guts to continue then I suggest you and your team get the fuck out right now!"

Kiba whimpered a bit before slumping down in his seat. "Alright now if you choose to reject the question raise your hand, once your number has been accounted for you may leave," Several other genin began raising their hands and them along with their teammates were ejected from the room. Hinata glanced at her Naruto-kun's paper and saw it completely filled out, she looked to his face to see that look of determination he was always wearing but deep in her gut, she felt something wasn't right.

Hinata immediately turned around to see a distraught cherry blossom with her hand at half mast, the two soulmates of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze stared at each other actually glaring at the other for the first time, "What about his dream?" Sakura lipped to Hinata.

Hinata's glare only intensified as she lipped back, "Enough Sakura, he's our husband, not our son, stop treating him like a child and trust him to make his own decisions, please," the Hyuga princess replied.

Sakura's glared hardened for just a second before she relented with a huff and a small smile, "Ok" Sakura said back causing Hinata to smile and turn back forward to face the proctor. Other teams continued to give up and soon the son of the Fourth was getting extremely pissed off,

"What the hell is wrong with all of you!" he barked out glancing around the rest of the room, "Are you really that scared of this balled prick, well screw you," the blonde flipped off Ibiki shocking everyone in the room,

"I don't run and I don't hide, so don't you dare underestimate me or any of my comrades, we're going all the way, believe it!" Naruto shouted and then continued, "I will not be stuck a genin forever, I will become Hokage someday and I refuse to let a teme like you scare me!" the future Hokage stated with determination as he calmed down a little and allowed Hinata to rub his whiskered cheeks.

The rest of the room looked at the blonde with various expressions but they all decided the same thing, they were seeing this through to the end. Ibiki actually grinned at the blonde before asking everyone in the class, "Are you sure this is your last chance?" he asked the genin. Naruto looked at the proctor again with a cocky grin,

"Sorry but I never go back on my word, it's my way of the ninja, believe it!" Ibiki looked at the blonde again before realizing that his words had inspired the others to stay, "Alright everyone who's still here congratulations, you just passed the first exam," Everyone in the room looked at Ibiki shocked but it was Sakura to get her questions in first,

"What!, what do you mean we passed? Where's the tenth question?" the pinkette asked in confusion. Ibiki began laughing, "There was no tenth question at least not a written one," he said with a smile.

"So you just made us suffer through nine other questions for nothing, what a fucking drag, damn it!" Temari suddenly announced as the dirty blonde with pigtails suddenly slammed her head into the desk. Ino burst out in laughter, "I found her Shikamaru-kun," Ino teased her Nara teammate.

Shikamrau just sighed, "Great she's scary and angry, just like I thought, how troublesome," he huffed in annoyance. Temari shot daggers at the boy who was apparently her soulmate, she had learned what had happened to her a few months prior with that ball of chakra that had suddenly appeared and chased her down. Ibiki's voice suddenly gathered everyone's attention,

"There was no waste, those questions were designed to see how well you could gather information without being detected," he explained. "Our spying?" Temari asked, "Yes you see gathering information is an essential skill that all chunin require so we made the test so difficult that you would be forced to cheat, in order to do that we had to ensure you had someone to cheat off of so we had two chunin who already knew all the answers sit in with you," the proctor pointed over to two men sitting in the middle of the exam room who just waved to the genin around the room.

Ibiki suddenly removed his hat revealing several burn marks and scars covering his scalp, "This is what happens when you fail to gather info effectively, better to not gather intel at all then gather it poorly. Shinobi who do that do not have the qualifications to become chunin, they cause missions to fail, people to die, and eventually the loss of that person's own life. Always remember if you bring information back that the enemy knows you've obtained your just making their job that much easier and putting the ones you serve in severe danger," Ibiki finally finished.

"So you wanted to test our spying abilities, how troublesome," Temari winced but continued, "So what was the deal with the tenth question then?" she asked. Ibiki laughed again, "The tenth question was the entire point of the exam," he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world but when he saw the confused faces of the genin he sighed,

"Allow me to explain, the tenth question provided you with two choices both hard and unfair, think of it this way your presented a job where you and your team have to enter unknown territory and put your life as well as your comrades lives on the line, do you accept the mission or reject it. The choice is obvious to any chunin, they accept the mission because they know there are no safe missions, every time you leave your village you put your life on the line. No matter the danger, risk, or the hardships you face a chunin demonstrates heart, passion, bravery, and a personality that inspires everyone around them, helping everyone to overcome their fears. That is the value we care about most when selecting new chunin while those who won't gamble with their own fate are weaklings and have no place in the rank. By choosing to accept you immediately answered correctly and as long as you keep that spirit, I have little doubt you will be on your way to advancement," Ibiki smiled before announcing once again,

"Congratulations, like I said before, you've all passed the first exam," Suddenly the window on the left side of classroom shattered and before the genin could blick a woman with purple hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a scandalous outfit, at least for a shinobi appeared in front of Ibiki,

"Don't think it's time to celebrate you worms, it's my turn to have fun with you," the woman stated sternly, "My name is Anko Mitarashi, proctor of the second exam, now let's get moving next stop the forest of death!" Anko quickly surveyed the room,

"Ibiki you passed twenty-seven teams what kind of easy bullshit were you giving these kids?" Anko asked feigning annoyance. She chuckled again before looking at the group of genin with a sadistic smile, "Don't worry by the time I'm done, more than half of them will be eliminated," she stated happily.

* * *

**AN: Well I got through the first exam like I promised lol, this chapter took a bit longer than I thought but I think it turned out pretty well, Yes I changed the date of the exams to june 1st instead of july really beacuse it was to long a wait for Naruto and Sakura to not say something to Sasuke for being distant  
**

**Introduced all of team guy at once and yeah Leeten honestly like Nejiten more but for plot reasons mainly it had to be this way, Naruto already knows Neji and they already have a disdain for each other so I can't have Neji happy just yet lol, but I promise he will find love and who knows what the future holds for him but I promise he will have a satisfying story**

**Temari has Shikamaru's ticks but unlike Sakura still has not accepted them yet. **

**Didn't bother covering the jonin discussing the exams or how the other teams passed basically happened the same way as in the original with the exception on Naruto getting help**

**If your wondering why Sakura and Hinata are fine wearing the Uzumaki symbol it's beacuse they could give a shit the only thing that's really important to them is keeping Naruto's father's identity a secret and yes Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata and Sakura are all in their cloaks and that is why Kabuto had the information on Naruto's soulmates but not Hinata's real last name.  
**

**Sakura had no idea of the conversation that her inner and Ino had so she assumed her baka was still screwed and was even more concerned because dammit my Naruto has to become hokage and I want to be wife of the hokage, cha! and yea Sakura's fan girl mode had to go somewhere and her inner was an easy choice, she's as deep as Hinata but outer Sakura will never admit it lol**

**Ino and Sasuke both know of the nine-tails and yes she did meet him before filling out Naruto's paper but the they both just ignored the other before Ino took control and it was an uneventful meeting, not worth mentioning, maybe in a flashback explaining what she saw to Sasuke.**

**The forest of death is going to be a nightmare but I think I've planned everything out right and it should go smoothly and I'll try to cover all of the events in one chapter but again we will see.****Thank you and hope you enjoyed**


	11. The Forest of Death

**Chapter 11: The Forest of Death**

* * *

June 1st, 64 AFL

2:10 p.m.

In less than an hour Anko along with the twenty-seven genin teams reached the gates to the forest of death, "Alright kiddies welcome to training ground 44 also known as the forest of death," Anko said with a smile but when no one spoke up, she continued,

"Alright everyone take these consent forms, I can't be liable for you brats if you end up dead," she grinned sadistically. Still no one said a word and Anko just sighed, 'these brats are no fun,' she thought as she began to hand out consent forms but one grass ninja caught her eye as she spoke to her.

Anko could feel the blood lust emanating from her, "Thank you Anko sensei," the unknown grass nin said with a smile while licking her lips with her unnaturally long tongue. "Your welcome grass ninja," was Anko's only reply. Once that was done, she explained the rules of the second exam, every team had a scroll marked either heaven or earth. The goal was to obtain a set of scrolls and reach the tower at the center of the forest before the five day time limit was reached. As Anko finished her explanation she gave one final piece of advice, "Alright the exam starts in fifteen minutes, do yourselves a favor and try not to die, I'd hate to have to clean up your entrails off the forest floor," the kunochi said adding a wink.

2:20 p.m.

"Ino, Shikamaru, Choji," Sasuke said causing the attention of Team 10 to turn to the last of the Uchiha, "What scroll did you get?" he asked them. Shikamaru sighed but Ino replied happily,

"Heaven," Sauske smirked, "It's the same as ours, that works," he replied. "Why, what do you have in mind Sasuke?" the Nara asked his old classmate. Sasuke smirked and explained his plan to Team 10. Meanwhile Naruto and Sakura were speaking with Team 8,

"You sure you guys don't want to team up, we have the same scroll and we'll be stronger in a six man squad, believe it!" the blonde asked his Hyuga princess. Hinata shook her head, "No it's ok Naruto-kun, this type of mission we'll be perfect for us to handle, I promise I'll be okay," she said sweetly. "Alright if your sure Hinata-hime, you know Sakura-chan and I believe in you and the teme too even if he's too much of an ass to admit it," Naruto said causing both the pinkette and raven haired girl to giggle.

"You better watch out for her dog breath and you too bug boy," Naruto warned his friends. "No need to worry Naruto-san, why because I understand exactly how you feel," Shino replied as he glanced over to the blue haired girl he had come to know in the last month. "Yeah, Naruto trust us we'll watch her back, you just worry about yourselves ok," Kiba said with a smile.

"The exam will begin in five minutes, please make your way to your assigned starting gate with your teammates!" the loudspeaker suddenly announced. Naruto and Sakura shared a farewell hug with Hinata before meeting up with Sasuke and getting into position. Suddenly the clock struck 2:30 and all twenty-seven teams entered the forest of death unaware of the dangers they would soon face.

* * *

3:10 p.m.

"What the fuck is that thing on your back?" a leaf genin said to his partner but before he could help his comrade dozens of the unknown creatures began swarming him along with his teammates. The team of genin quickly collapsed to the ground as Team 8 walked up casually wearing a smirk Kiba leading the charge, "That would be the flying leeches of Konoha, if they stay on your body for then five minutes, well,"

Kiba moved his hand to his neck and swiped his pointer finger across his throat as he said, "Rip." Kiba and Shino admired their handiwork while Hinata checked the enemies belongings, "Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, they had an earth scroll, let's head for the tower right away," she explained to her two comrades. Kiba chuckled, "Haha too easy, I told Naruto we wouldn't need any help, alright let's head for the tower," he barked and so Team 8 quickly made their way to the center of the forest.

Meanwhile Team 7 had heard Team 8's unfortunate victim's screams of terror. "What the hell was that guys?" Sakura asked Sasuke and her baka. "Umm I have no idea Sakura-hime but we have another problem," Naruto said snapping the pinkette's attention to him. "I have to go to the bathroom," he admitted causing Sakura to sigh and Sasuke to scowl, "Go dobe, I'm going to scout the area and look for Ino's team," Sasuke stated.

"Wait Sasuke you can't just run off on your own!" Sakura said in frustration. Sasuke huffed and reached into his bag, "Here take the scroll and you two guard it if that's what you're worried about, I'm going to find Team 10 so we can team up and eliminate the other team's one by one. Your the dobes who keep begging Ino and I to hangout and now I'm offering, so please Sakura just worry about Naruto and the scroll for now," he finished and handed the heaven scroll over to Sakura.

Before she could say a word the last Uchiha jumped into the trees and leaving his two teammates alone. Sakura could only sigh as she sat down at the bass of a tree, while Naruto walked off a few feet and relieved himself. The blonde left his face exposed so Sakura didn't lose complete sight of him while the rest of his body hid behind a tree,

'Go take a peak!,' Inner Sakura giggled, "No!" Sakura replied, 'Prude!' inner stated, "Perv," Sakura answered back. Inner Sakura smirked, 'It's ok to be pervy with your soulmate,' "Shut the fuck up we are thirteen and do not return you demon!" Sakura screamed aloud slamming her connection to inner Sakura shut, similar to how a tailed beast gets sucked into its cage.

"Are you ok Sakura-chan? Why did you scream?" Naruto asked her getting right into her face forcing her already distinctive blush to deepen, "Baka!" she screamed throwing a hard right out of the embarrassment of her situation. Naruto flew into a tree and slumped to the ground with a loud thud and Sakura rushed to his aid to check what she would define as a self-inflicted baka wound.

Naruto opened his eyes and suddenly threw Sakura to the right as he dove to the left avoiding the half a dozen kunai that had suddenly been impaled into the side of the tree. Naruto go to his feet quickly and stood in front of the cherry blossom, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he shouted causing at least a hundred Naruto clones to appear around the pair of genin. Suddenly their attackers came into view but instead of three enemies there were at least three hundred surrounding them.

Naruto's clones tried their best but whatever attack they tried to land be it fist, foot, or kunai nothing would work, "Damn it, my punches and kicks are going right through them and weapons don't seem to work either, believe it!" the original Naruto stated annoyance clear in his voice. One of the enemy ninjas laughed coldly, "You like that, it's our Fog Clone Jutsu try as hard as you want your attacks do less than nothing," the nin said. "He's right Naruto-kun what are we going to do?" Sakura questioned while holding her bag tightly to her chest, keeping their scroll as secure as she possibly could.

Before Naruto could answer he sensed something underneath the pair and quickly grabbed Sakura before trying to retreat. As he did the ground beneath them gave way and the three original bodies of the enemy nin appeared launching dozens of kunai at the couple but before the deadly weapons could find their mark all of them heard someone shout,

"**Wind Style - Great Breakthrough!**" The kunai as well as the shinobi scattered in different directions as they were propelled through the air. Naruto and Sakura were holding each other as tightly as they could when Naruto suddenly looked ahead, "Uh, Sakura-chan what's that?" Sakura tilted her head forward and saw the body of a giant monster with scales and fangs pop out from behind the brush, "My baka that would be a giant snake," Sakura replied instinctively. The pair looked at each other before letting out a deafening, "AAAAHHHHHHH!" The snake opened his mouth and quickly swallowed the pair in one gulp devouring the Uzumaki's alive.

* * *

3:30 p.m.

Team 8 made its way to the tower at a quick pace but stopped when Kiba and Akamaru picked up an unfriendly scent. Hinata used her Byakugan to identify the source and found two teams engaged in battle. Team 8 approached the situation with caution and were disgusted by the scene they witnessed. Gaara had single handedly massacred the opposing team with minimal effort using the sand that was stored in the gourd on his back, his chakra reeking of blood lust. Temari barely managed to convince Gaara that enough was enough and their team moved on with both a heaven and an earth scroll in possession.

Afterward Team 8 were making their own way to the tower staying a great distance from the sand nin, "There's only one thing I know that can have that much chakra and grant special abilities like those," Hinata stated aloud before she could catch herself and looked around worriedly at her teammates. They both continued moving forward but Shino was the first to reply,

"I agree Hinata-san and that means that only Naruto-san and Fu-chan stand any true chance against him, why because he's just like them," Kiba began chuckling, "So Naruto's a fox, Fu's a bug and that freak's a raccoon dog, what an odd bunch but who am I to talk," Kiba said with a grin causing Hinata's eyes to widen. "But how do you know?" she asked her teammates,

"How, I saw Fu-chan's memories, it wasn't hard to tell what her village hated about her, why they said it right to her face, as for Naruto-san my bug that was attached to you the day of your kidnapping informed me," Shino explained. Hinata smiled fondly at him before looking to Kiba, "And you Kiba-kun?" she wondered. Kiba just let out a long laugh,

"I probably knew before that idiot did, he smells just like a damn fox but when I met Fu-san and she smelled like Shino, I thought it was really strange but I thought maybe Shino already tied the knot," Kiba said while winking at his friend. Shino launched a good sized horde of insects into his comrade knocking him off the branch but he quickly regained his footing and responded with a scowl.

Eventually though the Inuzuka continued, "But after finding a third person that smells like an animal, I know somethings up so why don't you two fill me in?" he asked his comrades. Hinata and Shino looked at each other before nodding and explaining Naruto and Fu's stories to their teammate, as the dog boy looked at the pair with an understanding expression and just said, "Well whatever as long as we don't get paired with that freak we should be fine, Naruto and Fu are more than normal but that sadistic bastard will kill us without hesitation," Kiba replied. Shino and Hinata nodded and proceeded to finish their journey to the tower.

Around the same time Gaara was massacring his opponents Sasuke Uchiha was making his way through the trees looking for any sign of Team 10. 'Damn, where are they? Their starting gate wasn't that far apart from ours they have to be close,' he thought in annoyance.

Suddenly Sasuke spotted someone standing on a branch, he moved in slowly trying to take the unknown nin by surprise but just as his kunai was inches from the person's back he spun around and grabbed Sasuke by the throat. Sasuke reacted quickly dropping his kunai and formed several quick hand signs,

"**Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" he shouted launching an extreme amount of flame into the man's face so intense it was slowly melting his skin. Too Sasuke's displeasure the man kept his hold and started laughing uncontrollably, "Yes this is the power of a true Uchiha!" he shouted suddenly, releasing his grip and allowing Sasuke to step back to another branch. Sasuke recognized the man at once, "Orochimaru!" he shouted,

"You like my flames well have more, **Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" he said again releasing another ball of fire towards the sanin, "Burn you son of a bitch!" he screamed. Orochimaru continued to laugh sadistically through the flames his vision blurred but he didn't care, 'this kid has power and the sharingan, a dream come true,' he thought happily about his new vessel.

Eventually the flames died down and he noticed several wires scattered around the tree's and Sasuke standing there with a sadistic grin on his face and his sharingan fully active, 'Yes you're only one tomoe away from a completed sharingan, now how can I force it out of you?' Orochimaru thought. Sasuke pulled the wires as tight as he could trapping the sanin securely to the tree he was standing on,

"I said burn you fuck, **Fire Style - Dragon Flame Jutsu!**" he shouted. As soon as he did Sasuke erupted an even greater and more focused blast of fire from his mouth directly into the sanin's body. As Sasuke watched the body burn into nothing but ash he cursed himself, 'Shit I forgot to get any information out of him, oh well at least he can't hurt Karin anymore and I bet that prick with the glasses has the information I need,' Sasuke thought as he turned to resume his search for Team 10.

Sauske suddenly felt something close to his face and turned his head and nearly shit himself at what was inches away from his neck. Orochimaru had somehow survived and had elongated his neck to land one last attack on the Uchiha. Sasuke tried to dodge but Orochimaru was too skilled and too fast as he sunk his snake like fangs deep into Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke screamed in agony as Orochimaru's heaven curse mark set nicely onto Sasuke's body, "I could just take you with me now," the sanin grinned evilly, as his neck shrunk back to normal length "But I'd like to have my order complete when I get it so I'll make a deal with you Sasuke-kun,"

Sasuke managed to suppress the immense pain that was coursing through his body enough to glare daggers at the disgusting snake. "When I call for you, you will come to me and hand over your body without any complaints, do that and I'll fulfill your dream of killing Itachi for you and I'll even release Karin Uzumaki to you," Sasuke was in too much agony to reply but he continued to scowl at the bastard before his vision began to fail.

Orochimaru turned to leave but faced him one last time as he smiled uncomfortably, "I'll be seeing you and that beautiful body of yours soon Sasuke-kun or else... well I'm sure you've seen first hand what I'm capable of doing and not just to Karin-chan… but Ino-chan, Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun as well!" were his final words to the last Uchiha as he disappeared into the forest. Sasuke tried staying conscious but whatever the snake had done to him was making his world spin, he finally let out a loud, "Fuck you Orochimar…" was all the boy got out and the last thing he heard were two girls he knew all too well scream, "Sasuke!"

* * *

Several minutes before as Sasuke attempted to roast a snake alive Sakura and Naruto found themselves in the belly of one, "Um Sakura-chan you have the beautiful brain, how do we get out of this?" Naruto asked her. Sakura looked around but all she could see was darkness and failed to come up with anything,

'Multi-Shadow Clone Snake Explosion Jutsu!' inner Sakura piped in causing regular Sakura to glare and ask, "How did you get out?" Inner Sakura smiled devilishly as she held something up, 'I have the key baka' she replied, 'Just tell our Naru-kun my plan' "I am never calling him that," Sakura replied, 'We'll see,' Inner Sakura giggled and vanished.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Can you hear me?" Naruto asked her as she came back to earth. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before stating calmly, Multi-Shadow Clone Snake Explosion Jutsu," Naruto looked at her oddly before smiling, "That is just one of the reasons I love you Sakura-chan without you I wouldn't even be here right now," he replied. "Just use the damn jutsu baka!" she shouted a bit louder than she intended but he had embarrassed her, his fault while inner sakura threw her fist in the air in delight, 'Yes my Naru harem dream is finally fulfilled, Cha!'

"Alright let's try this, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Snake Explosion Jutsu!**" he shouted, as soon as he did Naruto clones kept appearing one after the other with no clear sign of stopping until finally the pressure was too much for the snake's body as it exploded into bits and pieces and the two genin flew through the air Sakura landing on her feet and her baka neatly on his face.

Sakura helped him to his feet and they shared a smile before heading off to find their runaway teammate. As Naruto and Sakura made their way through the trees they soon noticed smoke in the air, "Let's head that way Naruto, Sasuke may be in combat if that's from one of his fire jutsu's," Sakura pointed out. Naruto nodded and the two headed toward the direction of the smoke.

At the exact same time Team 10 had spotted the smoke themselves and were proceeding but with a slightly more caution, "That smoke could be anyone Ino be patient and stay in formation," Shikamaru said with solemn look. Ino just glared at him before increasing her pace,

'Kami why do women have to be so troublesome, speaking of which what am I going to do about mine, she's stronger and as smart if not smarter than me,' the Nara thought and then sighed, 'And if that's not enough her brother's a complete sadist if her memories are anything to go by, what a drag,' he thought.

The boy's thoughts were quickly interrupted when he heard Ino shout, "Sasuke!" Team 10's attention immediately shifted as they appeared in front of the injured Uchiha, Sakura and Naruto following seconds after. Ino rushed to Sasuke's side who was groaning in pain, "What happened?" she screamed to the remaining members of Team 7.

Naruto and Sakura looked at the pair in shock at horrible condition Sasuke was in but Naruto somehow found his voice, "He… He… went looking for you three alone, I had to piss and he refused to wait, we… we were going to follow him right after we swear Ino, we swear but…" the blonde started. "But what!" she shouted angrily but this time it was Sakura to respond,

"We got attacked and we got blown away by some sort of jutsu and we ended up in the belly of a snake…" Ino went wide eyed at that but kept her face toward Sasuke while trying to sooth him to the best of her ability. "Then what!" she yelled out in tears finally breaking down, "We managed to escape and we showed up here at the same time you did, believe it Ino, we would never let this happen, I'd give my own life for his if meant saving him," the blonde admitted truthfully.

Ino turned to Naruto shocked but slowly smiled at him brightly as she replied, "I know Naruto and thank you," she said simply and returned her attention to her soulmate. "I hate to break this up but we have to find somewhere to lay low while Sasuke recovers, it's a drag, I know but Sasuke's a comrade and helping him recover comes first," Shikamaru announced to the group effectively getting an uncomfortable smile from three people that care way too much for the raven haired sharingan wielder.

Teams 7 and 10 found a well hidden spot under a few fallen trees to lay Sasuke down comfortably while Ino and Sakura did their best to treat his wounds and help him get through his unbearable pain.

The three male genin took turns keeping watch and setting traps to ensure their safety from any unforeseen attacks. Later that night the boys managed to catch and kill a wild boar so the trio along with Sakura reminisced about their academy days over a small fire but in the back of her mind she couldn't help but worry about Ino and Sasuke and how long it would take for him to recover. Little did the leaf genin know that they were being watched,

"What's the plan Dosu?" Kin asked the gray haired man, "We'll take the guys out first once the toxin Kabuto gave us takes effect, then we'll deal with those little girls and after that Sasuke will be all ours," he replied calmly while his two teammates shared an evil grin.

4:07 p.m.

"Look those sand nin are entering the tower," Kiba whispered to his teammates, "We'll wait about ten minutes and then head in ourselves, we don't want to cross that bastards path again especially while killing is still legal," he finished explaining. His friends nodded and true to their word at 4:17 p.m. Team 8 entered the tower marking them as well as Team Garaa the first teams to pass the second exam.

* * *

June 2nd, 64 AFL

"Sakura, Sakura!" Ino said while shaking her best friend awake early the next morning. Sakura rubbed her eyes and tried to take in her surroundings when she remembered where they where, "Shit, sorry Ino I fell asleep what's up, where are Naruto-kun and the others?" Sakura asked curiously but when she saw the serious expression on Ino's face her eyes lit up,

"Where are they Ino?" she asked again. "I don't know Sakura, I woke up and they were gone," Ino said calmly but Sakura could tell she was shaken by their absence, "Well what do we do kno…" Sakura failed to finish her sentence as several explosions erupted shaking the ground beneath the two kunoichi.

Sakura and Ino quickly rushed out of their hiding place to find their attackers and what they saw shook them. All of their traps had been sprung and three enemy nin were standing in front of them, "Would you two be so kind as to hand over Sasuke to us?" Dosu asked the two girls. Both kunochi scowled at him as Sakura asked,

"Where the fuck are Naruto-kun and the others?" she growled out. Zaku laughed, "Don't worry they're alive for now, you should really watch what you eat, that pig you all chewed on last night had a knockout drug in it's system," Zaku laughed before finishing, "They've all probably become bug food by now though," he explained. Sakura growled,

"Then we'll just have to kick your asses and find them ourselves, believe it, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" she said as two solid clones appeared. Sakura and her clones charged the nin and threw several shuriken toward the enemy but Zaku stood in front of his comrades, while holding out his hand he shouted, **Slicing Sound Wave!**"

Sakura, her clones and the shuriken were blown back with force, her shuriken impaling her clones and dispelling them while Sakura took one to her leg and another to her left arm forcing her down to one knee. "Sakura!" Ino shouted, suddenly she heard a dinging sound coming from her right and the blonde quickly dove to the ground, she managed to see two senbon fly past her, one she noticed had a bell tied to it.

'There using sound to confuse us,' Ino thought, Dosu suddenly appeared behind Ino and held a kunai to her throat, "Where is Sasuke?" he said to her coldly causing her to scowl at him. "Ino!" Sakura squealed but as she turned Kin took her by surprise hitting her with a sharp kick, sending her into the air while the sound teams other member jumped just above the wounded pinkette. Sakura moved her arms to her face to cover the blow as Zaku cried out once again, "**Slicing Sound Wave!**" he shouted sending Sakura back to the ground with a devastating blast created by a mix of sound and air.

The poor cherry blossom slammed into the ground hard, she was still alive and conscious but could barely move and was completely out of chakra. "I'll kill you all for what you've done!" Ino cried as Dosu went for the killing blow all four of the shinobi were stopped dead in their tracks from a cold, cruel, and malevolent chakra.

A few minutes before a boy a green spandex saw the beginning of the kunochi's desperate battle and thought, 'I should help them but Tenten-chan will kill me if I'm late but I'm sure as soon as I meet up with her and Neji they'll agree to come help, as long as I don't mention Naruto-san or Sakura-san to Neji' Lee groaned as he turned to return to his teammates at a breakneck pace in order to gather his team and provide adequate reinforcements for his fellow leaf genin.

At the exact same time Naruto Uzumaki was meeting an old friend, "Where am I?" he asked himself as he took in his surroundings, "Kami damn it, I'm back in this crappy seal, believe it!" he said aloud in agitation as he turned to the cage he knew the fox was sitting in.

"Wake up you stupid fox, I want my body back!" he said shouted. This caused the nine-tail's to roar in rage but Naruto kept his ground is scowl ever prevalent, "You ungrateful fucking brat, I work overtime to get that toxin out of your system and even wake your ass up before you can you can become some insect's meal and this is how you thank me, fine screw you kit!" the nine-tails barked and suddenly Naruto was ejected from the seal with the blonde baka only replying with a, "What?"

His thought process was interrupted as he opened his eyes and realized that he was surrounded by no less than seven giant centipedes, "Crap, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he shouted and as quickly a dozen Naruto clones appeared quickly slicing up the disgusting creatures one by one with his trusty kunai.

The original Naruto looked around frantically trying to find his friends and he spotted a centipede that was sucking on choji's head like it was a popsicle. Naruto almost laughed but sprung into action quickly saving his comrade and quickly finding Shikamaru who was simply laying in the middle of the forest peacefully asleep, the bugs apparently thinking his skinny ass wasn't worth the effort.

Naruto created two more clones and picked up the members of Team 10 and tried sniffing the air in an attempt to find Sakura or Sasuke's scent. He got a small wave and quickly made his way through the forest in an attempt to regroup with his team.

* * *

As Naruto was stuck in his mind talking to his inner demon Sasuke Uchiha was facing his own. Sasuke had awoken in a white clear room it almost appeared to be a void but as he looked around he saw a younger version of himself crying while sitting down, his knees to his face. Sasuke walked over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder but when the boy looked up Sasuke was spooked. His face was there but it had been fused together with that bastard, Orochimaru,

"You let them die," the boy said to the original, "I wasn't there!" Sasuke responded, "You should of been, you're weak, pathetic!" the boy responded. "Fuck you, I'm getting stronger everyday and my sharingan will be complete soon enough," Sasuke responded.

The younger of the pair began laughing sadistically, "Those eyes are a joke compared to big brothers you know what we need, you know what you have to do," the boy said. "No, I refuse to be like him, I'll unlock the Mangekyou my own way without killing Naruto!" Sasuke stated sternly.

The boy's laughing suddenly stopped, "The dobe huh, funny how he keeps getting everything we lost, a full family, parents that loved him, skills that are increasing with little signs of stopping, and friends while we're stuck treating everyone else like shit because we're too afraid that if anyone gets too close Itachi will come and take them away, you're nothing more than a coward!" the boy said.

Sasuke sunk to his knees and started pounding at the non-existent ground with his fist, "Shut up, your wrong, your wrong!" he repeated again and again trying to convince himself rather than his younger projection. The younger snickered he knew he had won but Sasuke just needed one more push, he snapped his fingers and suddenly Sasuke could see the battle that Ino and Sakura were fighting.

They were suffering and there was nothing he could do, "Just like he said you don't have enough hate but I can amend that flaw," he said grinning cynically. Sasuke just looked at his younger and gritted his teeth, "Show me," was all he said before the younger's smile grew twice as wide and his voice deepened considerably,

"Very well take my power and kill all those who stand in our way," he said while offering Sasuke his hand. Sasuke hesitated for a moment but once he heard Ino's scream all resolve crumbled and he grabbed the younger's as tightly as he could, "Now show me!" he repeated again in anger. Without saying a word the younger version of Sasuke dissolved into shadows and the white void transformed into nothing but darkness.

As Ino prepared for Dosu's lethal attack she suddenly felt a malevolent chakra and suddenly the sound nin released her in a fright. She looked around frantically and saw Sasuke but it wasn't the Sasuke Ino knew, his body was covered in some sort of odd pattern and his chakra was flaring uncontrollably in mix of black and purple. Nevertheless he asked her,

"Ino who hurt you and Sakura?" Sasuke questioned in an unnaturally deep voice. Ino gaze shifted over to Sakura who was still lying on the ground injured due to Zaku's previous attacks. Ino's fear turned to hatred as she saw Zaku pick up Sakura by her hair and state proudly to Sasuke, "That would be me," he bragged and then threw her back to the ground with force,

"Sasuke, that scumbag was the one who hurt Sakura and that freak with the bandages threatened to kill me if I didn't tell him where you were!" Ino stated with malice as she pointed to Zaku followed by Dosu. Ino turned back to Sasuke but instead of feeling relieved or happy, instead she felt completely distressed, his eyes they were dead, it was like there was nothing left but his body.

She blinked and he was gone, Sasuke suddenly appeared behind Zaku and kicked his head into dirt. He grabbed Zaku's hands and placed his foot directly on the sound nin's back, "Die," was all Sauske said calmly as he ripped Zaku arms off in one pull severing them at this shoulders. Zaku screamed out in pain before running into the woods blood gushing from his wounds but before he could escape Sasuke appeared and sliced the boys throat with a kunai killing him instantly and ending his suffering.

Sasuke's head immediately snapped to Dosu, "Die," he repeated again calmly. Ino was busy trying to treat Sakura's wounds but both girls were stiff from shock and fear as well as the display of raw power and violence Sasuke displayed. "Sasuke Uchiha!" Dosu began frantically while Sasuke walked up to the nin calmly, "Here you've more than proven your superior strength please take our earth scroll and let us leave in peace," the sound nin begged.

Sasuke was finally in striking distance of Dosu as he took the scroll from him before looking at it oddly. Sasuke turned his gaze back to the sound nin and he had no time to react as Sasuke's other hand grabbed his throat, "Die," he repeated again and within seconds Dosu's neck was crushed with such force that blood splatter hit all three of the kunoichi, Kin who was crying under a tree as well as Sakura and Ino who were still in a state of utter shock.

Sasuke released Dosu whose head and body had become borderline separate pieces and stared unemotionally at the last member of the sound trio. "You die," he said again as he slowly made his way over to the terrified girl. Ino was terrified, yes she was terrified of this Sasuke but she knew he was still in there somewhere but her body was frozen in place.

She grabbed a medical scalpel out of the first aid kit she had been using to treat Sakura and stabbed herself in the leg using the pain to overcome the terror as she lunged in front of Sasuke wrapping her arms around him her head buried deep into his chest as she cried, "That's enough please, this isn't you, this isn't the Sasuke I love!" she screamed and suddenly Sakura saw both Ino and Sasuke's hands flash different colors before the Uchiha's collapsed to the ground Sasuke still in Ino's arms.

As Sasuke regained his awareness he realized where he was and the first thing he saw filled him with relief, the platinum blonde smiling at him but just behind her he could see Sakura eyeing him with a sense of fear in her eyes that made him feel sick. Sauske looked into Ino's eyes as he asked her incoherently, "What am I?" Ino looked at him oddly and while Sasuke spotted Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji heading their way, "What Sasuke-kun?" Ino questioned him. Sasuke turned to face her again as he asked, "What…" was all the last Uchiha was able to get out before he collapsed from exhaustion.

As Teams 7 and 10 regrouped and recounted their experiences Team Gai arrived with Neji sensing Sasuke's chakra with his Byakugan but failing to get to the source before it suddenly vanished. "I told you Lee, they don't need our help now let's head to the tower, we already have both scrolls," Tenten said adding a wink for effect. Lee sighed but gave a nice guy poise as he replied,

"Right Tenten-chan let us finish the exam by the end of the day and if we fail we'll do one thousand push ups," the bushy browed genin said with flames in his eyes. Both Neji and Tenten sighed as she took Lee's hand and lead him to the tower marking Team Gai as the third team to pass the second exam.

Meanwhile the last living member of the sound nin was trying to escape wondering what the fuck she was going to do now, 'Fucking Orochimaru knew that was a sucide mission especcialy after he gave the Uchiha a fucking curse mark,' she thought and then began to sob again, 'And now the only friends I'v ever known are dead, why Kami?' she thought through tears. Suddenly she heard someone shout a jutsu she knew and screamed loudly thinking she was about to die but when she opened her eyes she recognized her attacker. The person smirked at her before asking, "So wanna talk?"

* * *

June 4th, 64 AFL

It took two days before Sasuke and Sakura recovered enough to move and both teams could focus on getting their final earth scroll. Sakura and Naruto were busy gathering firewood, while Sasuke and Ino went to gather water and Shikamaru and Choji were busy looking for something for their group to eat. Meanwhile a blue haired jinchuuriki and her team were finding an easy scroll among some dead grass ninja. As she picked up their scroll she sighed,

"It's a shame we didn't get here sooner, we could have saved them and taken their scroll without killing them if a few bears did them in," she said aloud. "Come on Fu-san we have both scrolls now let's head to the tower," "Ok," she replied and so Team Fu was marked as the fourth team to pass the second exam.

Meanwhile Sasuke was coming clean to Ino about what had happened in the woods at the start of the exam, if she knew the secret of the Mangekyou and still loved him enough to keep it a secret even from Sakura. Then he could trust her with anything he figured but he did purposely leave out the threat that Orochimaru issued her personally as well as what the snake truly wanted from him.

"So what do we do now Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked him in concern. Sasuke sighed, "My only lead now is that gray haired prick but who knows if he's even still here," Sasuke stated with agitation. Ino just put a hand on his shoulder as she replied, "Your right he's probably gone but if by some miracle he's still around I'll torture the information out of the dirt bag myself Sasuke-kun," Ino said sweetly with a smile.

Sasuke laughed at that, "Your becoming a little dark Ino, tone it back a bit ok," his grin slowly matched hers as he continued, "We'll torture him as a clan," he said calmly. As the two made their way through the forest they met up with Shikamaru and Choji, the pair unfortunately failing to capture anything tasty so the four genin slowly made their way back to the campsite looking for any sign of anything edible on the way.

While Sasuke's group made their way back Naruto and Sakura were waiting for their teammates worried about the fact they were still missing a scroll, "We could open the earth scroll and copy it so Ino's team has a scroll," Sakura said quietly, she knew that was wrong but they had no idea how many teams were left and they had been so much help and so kind to Sasuke and herself while they were injured.

"I don't know Sakura-hime somethings telling me that's a bad idea, I mean we can't have been the first ones to come up with that trick, hell I could come up with that in my sleep, believe it!" he said aloud causing Sakura to huff in annoyance. "Well screw it I'm trying it anyway," she said as she took the earth scroll and prepared to open it but was stopped by an unknown hand causing the pinkette to scream.

The remaining members of their group rushed out of the woods but when Sasuke saw who it was he stopped them. Sasuke decided he had no choice and told Shikamaru and Choji the truth about his second soulmate leaving out the parts about Orochimaru and making it seem like Kabuto was the evil mastermind torturing Karin. Shikamaru was skeptical at first but when Sasuke showed him the seals on his left hand the Nara had no choice but to accept, that like Naruto, Sasuke too had another soulmate and they needed to take this bastard in for questioning, "Ok here's the best plan I can come up with…" Shikamaru started to explain.

At the exact same Kabuto was informing Naruto and Sakura of what had happened to the other team's that had tried to open their scrolls, "Wow thanks Kabuto-san I almost messed up big time," Sakura said in disappointment, "Yeah Kabuto we really owe you one, believe it!" Naruto said with a smile at his new friend. Suddenly the trio was interrupted when they heard someone shout, "**Human Boulder!**"

Naruto and Saukra turned around quickly to see a huge ball of flesh heading toward the trio at high speed. Naruto and Sakura quickly jumped out of the way but Kabuto discovered he was unable to move, then he heard someone snicker, "My Shadow Possession Jutsu, it keeps you stuck till I let you go," the Nara stated calmly. Kabuto scowled at him but before he could do anything Shikamaru released his jutsu and Choji slammed hard into Kabuto knocking him against a tree.

Kabuto looked up and saw Ino and Sasuke standing in the branches, they both jumped down kunai at the ready to try and disable the undercover sound nin but Kabuto managed to get out of the way just in time missing Ino's kunai by inches and Sasuke's slicing off his bag. Kabuto sneered at the two Uchiha, "I'll make sure to send Karin your love Sasuke-kun," he said as he flew through several fluid hand signs, "Your not getting away!" Sasuke replied as he threw his kunai at enemy impaling him in the chest but he just smirked at Sasuke before disappearing in a puff of smoke his body replaced by a log, "Fuck!" Sasuke cried, "Where is he? Where is he?" he looked around frantically trying to locate the snake's apprentice with his sharingan but it was too late he was long gone.

Ino walked up to him slowly and placed a hand on his shoulder as she said calmly, "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun but he's gone we'll just have to get him and that other bastard another time," Sasuke turned to her and softly sunk his head into her chest trying to calm down as his two completely oblivious teammates walked up to him and Shikamaru began searching Kabuto's bag.

"Why did you guys attack him Sasuke, he helped us believe it!" Naruto tried to explain but this caused Ino to glare at the two Uzumaki's, "You wanted to know who Karin Uzumaki is, well you're not the only one here with a second soulmate Naruto and unlike your's who sit comfortably in the Leaf going on cute little dates Karin sits in a shit hole cell several miles away being tortured daily by that gray haired scumbag and there's not a single fucking thing we can do about it!" Ino screeched but before she could say anymore Ino felt Sasuke's hand grip hers firmly, she looked at him and he shook his head as the two other members of Team 7 stood their in shock. Shikamaru broke the awkward silence by announcing,

"Kabuto had a set of scrolls we have more than enough now, let's head to the tower," he said. The rest of the genin nodded silently and Teams 7 and 10 made their way to the tower marking them as the fifth and sixth team's to pass the second exam. When the six-man squad finally reached the tower they broke off into their respective teams dividing one heaven and one earth scroll between the two before they entered the giant structure.

When Team 7 walked in they found themselves in a room when they suddenly realized they needed to open their set of scrolls. Naruto and Sakura opened them up and suddenly smoke began pouring out of them. Sasuke realizing it was a summoning jutsu had his teammates throw the scrolls to the center of the room as man the three of them knew all too well appeared,

"Iruka sensei!" Naruto and Sakura said with a smile and even Sasuke had a small grin on at the site of their former teacher. Iruka looked at his former nin in training fondly and just smiled, he truly couldn't believe their progress. He explained to them the point of the heaven and earth scrolls as well as the purpose of the second exam. As he finished he looked at them fondly before saying,

"Well done you three and do your best in the third exam, meet me at Ichiraku's after this and I'll get you ramen," he said with a smile as he disappeared in another puff of smoke. Team 7 shared a grin as they proceeded through the next door ready and willing for the final exam.

* * *

June 6th, 64 AFL

Two days later Team 7 found themselves standing in a giant indoor arena, while the other remaining genin were lined up in front of the Hokage. Team 7 walked up to their fellow genin and listened to the old man as he explained the true nature and history of the chunin exams.

After he was finished the proctor for the third exam, a man holding a cigarette and a terrible cough, named Hayate Gekko appeared before the young ninjas. "Alright since there are too many of you we'll be holding a preliminary round before the start of the third exam," he explained through multiple coughs. Temari scowled at him as she asked,

"And why is that it sounds like a drag, damn it," the kunoichi from the sand covered her mouth in frustration. Hayate just looked at her with a bored expression as he explained, "There are to many of you, the truth is we didn't expect eighteen of you to make it this far, so we have to thin the herd so to speak," he replied dryly.

"Wait does that mean only one person gets to become a chunin, that's troublesome," the sand kunoichi replied with a thoughtful expression as the other genin quickly nodded in agreement causing Hyatae to sigh, "No the truth is you may all become chunin or none of you might, it all depends on how well you perform right here and right now, the reality is the more matches you get the more chances you get to demonstrate your talents and the likelihood of becoming a chunin increases, now if your done with your questions go up to the balcony and join your respective sensei's and come down when your name is called," Hayate finished through more coughs.

The six teams made their way to the balcony as ordered and soon the first match was ready to begin as the board began to flash different names the first competitors were finally revealed,

"**Sasuke Uchiha vs. Choji Akimichi!**"

* * *

**AN: Wow I had fun this chapter the hardest part is definitely the series of events Team Garra finished an hour and thirty seven minutes in the original exam and Team 8 was not far behind. Team 10 found Team 7 by accident literally the day after they were attacked by Orchimaru while Sakura was fighting the sound nin so if there that close I think if they were actively pursuing each other they could have easily found each other on the first day and I used Sasuke's barbecue of Orochimaru to do that lol. **

**Sasuke does not freeze up he knows Orchimaru's chakra and he charged Itachi no problem literally a couple of months later in the timeline so I think he would of overcame that shit by now. Naruto needing to piss in the original is genius must thank Kishi sensei he literally gives us an easy way to separate Sasuke from the other members of team 7 even if you don't have him run off like I did you can still make it work.**

**Naruto not getting fucked over by the five prong seal this round totally fucking over his control in the original is really going to help him a lot and considering how much better his chakra control already is from his training with Sakura and Hinata… Well you get where I'm going with that… Honestly wasn't going to make inner sakura a total perv but as I reread the chapters I sighed and realized that shits actually canon at least when it came to Sasuke and since her affection is now for Naruto it makes sense it would shift that way. That being said this story will never have a lemon or anything that's over the teen rating and trust me when I say we won't be seeing next gen for a while. I definitely do get worried about the level of violence and language but that's a discussion for another day.**

**If you think Sasuke charging the snake bastard full force like a psycho is out of character it kinda is but those damn Uzumaki traits he got from Karin bleed through from time to time lol. Yeah Naruto is over protective of Hinata can you blame him though he can't watch her back all the time he has to rely on Kiba and Shino. And yeah literally all of the rookie 9 know Naruto's secret know except for Choji and maybe, Shikamaru although if I remember correctly he figured it out by himself in the original, I could be wrong and I will check.**

**I'm sorry if your angry I had the team's team up but why would they not do that in this situation if the rookie 9 all got together and worked as a 9 man squad with their combined skills, I truly believe they could take down any team besides Orochimaru himself, Gaara's team if he releases Shikkaku and Fu's is she releases Chomei seriously everybody else is screwed. There that good especially with Team 8's tracking they can avoid anyone they want and find anyone they want. I should also mention in the original Shikamaru believed that their team was weakest second only too Naruto's so considering how Ino has been talking about how good both Naruto and Sasuke are I see no reason why he wouldn't want to team up if not for safety fuck the exam way to troublesome dying is a drag.**

**I took the idea for the short conversations they had before the exam from the anime where Ino and Sakura as well as Hinata and Naruto have a discussion before the test. Yes the Anko Orochimaru stuff does happen but unless the conversation is really worth repeating I won't be covering it and the same goes with certain fights. The Third Hokage vs. Orochimaru for example is one of those fights, it happens the same way as in canon but he just uses two different followers for the reanimation jutsu and don't give me the no he couldn't have he had hundreds of prisoners at this time in the story and I do honestly think he more than planned for them to be killed by Sasuke. I think he sent the sound nin after him to attack Sakura and Naruto to try and force Sasuke's eyes to awaken quicker but honestly that's a debate that's gone on for fifteen years.**

**My favorite scene was definitely little Sasuke and elder Sasuke's conversation loved writing that out. Sorry for beating up Sakura but needed Ino well enough and I needed to add the extra incentive for Sasuke to go on a massacre, brutal. Yeah I know hated having Lee run away but getting his team and coming back is what a real shinobi would do and his crush on Sakura is non existent and considering Neji's relationship with the Uzumaki's it's a miracle Lee's nice to them at all but really but he knows Neji can be an ass and not the best judge of character and also remember it was three on two here and nobody was hurt before Lee left to go get his team.**

**Yes I needed a way to remove the boys and I decided to give the centipedes their spot since we skipped the rematch with rain nin because A) they would not have the balls to attack a full six-man squad with unknown abilities and B) I had Team 7 actually finish a day earlier than in canon.**

**Yes Karin's team from the village hidden in the grass was there but they all get slaughtered this time because why not, Karin is safe and sound in a cell in the sound and yes if you didn't realize I had to change Karin's past a little bit to get her to Orchimaru's quicker than in canon so Sasuke's hero complex would take over, love or hate the teme he hates seeing the weak get picked on it's part of his character whether you like it or not.**

**So yes I eliminated two teams from the exam the sound team and Kabuto's so we are definitely getting some unique matches in the next part. I want to make it clear before anyone thinks anything super insane is gonna happen it will not. At its core this story is simply a retelling of Naruto with the events happening slightly differently because of the Soul Seal Jutsu and the mystery of what's going on with Naruto and Sasuke and why they have two soulmates. That being said, several key events have to happen in the timeline for everything to go smoothly, if I don't do this, this story may suddenly become broken because I forgot something important, for example Sasuke had to get the curse mark. I really do hope you all enjoyed and continue to enjoy this story next time the prelims**

**Goodbye and Thank You! **


	12. The Preliminary Rounds

**Chapter 12: The Preliminary Rounds**

* * *

June 6th, 64 AFL

**Sasuke Uchiha vs. Choji Akimichi**

When Sasuke's name was called the remaining genin of Team 7 looked at the sharingan warrior with concern, "That mark on Sasuke's neck, it scares me Naruto. I'm worried about him and Ino, there are so many things we don't know about them," Sakura said sadly. "I really don't know Sakura-chan I'm worried about them too but all we can do at least for now is have faith in them," Naruto replied while scratching his head with one hand and interlocking his fingers with hers using the other,

"If it gets really bad, I promise I'll do everything in my power to help them and besides sensei sealed that mark right after we finished the second exam it shouldn't bother him as badly anymore," the blonde said with a grin. "Baka!" she replied fondly as she looked at him, "We'll do everything in our power," Sakura said, Naruto smiled at her but eventually both of their eyes turned back to Sasuke with concern.

Across the balcony the Hyuga heiress activated her kekkei genkai and noticed an instability in Sasuke's chakra originating from around his neck, 'What happened to you Sasuke?' she thought as her gaze turned to her Naruto-kun and Sakura. As the last Uchiha descended into the arena he couldn't help but remember what Kakashi informed about the seal that was currently residing on his neck.

"This jutsu seals the curse mark's power but it's only as powerful as you will it. If you ever begin to doubt yourself, the seal will fail and that mark will take over," the jonin had told the young sharingan wielder. Sasuke knew that using that power was a bad idea but that was a moot point at the moment as he stared down the heir of the Akimichi clan,

'Shit, even after a day and a half in bed, I'm still at less than half of my normal chakra. I can't afford to have a prolonged fight against Choji, I hate to admit it but that fat ass has as much destructive power as Naruto or myself. I can't risk getting hit by too many of his attacks,' he thought as Choji finally finished his bag of chips and made his way down. 'Kami why Sasuke, I'm so screwed, I should probably just give up now,' the Akimichi thought with a frown on his face.

Choji remembered how Sasuke always beat everyone including himself in their spars at the academy and if Ino was anything to go by Sasuke had only gotten stronger while he really hadn't been taking his training seriously at all. Honestly the only things on the boy's mind where his next meal and that girl from the Land of Lightning that he would probably never meet due to the bad relations between the Leaf and Cloud Villages.

Sasuke noticed Choji grim expression and sighed himself, 'Damn he still has those confidence issues, he'll never get anywhere if he keeps acting like this," Sasuke thought with some sympathy as he looked around the room at the other contestants and proctors. 'On top of that, it looks like he might just forfeit, what the hell fat ass grow a spine,' he continued and then grinned a little way too Naruto like, 'Or maybe I can grow one for you,' the last Uchiha finalized as he got into his signature stance ready for battle.

Choji walked up but didn't get into a fighting stance causing Sasuke to sigh again but he let Hayate explain the rules before implementing his plan. "Alright then, this first match will begin the preliminary rounds, as I explained before, there are no rules. You may use any and all weapons at your disposal, fight until one of you dies or the other admits defeat. Finally as proctor I have the right to stop any match that seems unwinnable to prevent the fewest number of casualties possible. Now if you two are ready you may begin," the man finished through coughs.

Choji looked at Sasuke worriedly and then to the proctor, "Actually sir I'd like to…" "What's wrong scared of me Choji," Sasuke said while laughing cruelly, "I always knew a fat ass like you could never be a ninja let alone a chunin," he said while grinning and then looked back to the Akimichi. "What did you say Sasuke!" Choji yelled with fire in his eyes and then the pair heard Ino shout, "Shut the fuck up Sasuke, Choji don't take that shit from him kick his ass!" she screeched.

Choji as well as most of the rookie nine turned their heads in shock at the blonde's proclamation but when Choji's eyes met hers Ino just grinned happily, "Just do your best ok, I know you're strong, hell your strongest one on our team," she stated matter a factly. "Ino," was all Choji said with happiness as he looked down and shed a few tears when suddenly the rest of the rookie nine erupted,

"Yea, kick the teme's ass Choji," Naruto said with a grin. "Your strong Choji, what Ino said was true, I would definitely forfeit if I was your opponent," Shikamaru stated honestly. "Do your best we believe in you, believe it, cha!" the cherry blossom from Team 7 added. "Right don't give up until it's over, you know," Hinata said with a smile. Choji gazed at all of his friends before looking to Sasuke who was wearing a cocky grin. Sasuke slowly looked at the Akimichi with an unreadable expression as he asked again,

"So just gonna give up fat ass or are you going to show the Uchiha what an Akimichi is capable of?" Sasuke stated with confidence but not malice in his voice. Choji eyes lit up again, "I am not fat Sasuke, I'm big boned you bastard now get ready because I'm winning this match," Choji said with a new sense of conviction. "If you two are done you may begin," Hayate interrupted them and suddenly the two Leaf genin charged each other kunai at the ready.

Their blades met the others again and again with Sasuke so winded from the suppression of the curse mark Choji could almost match Sasuke's strength but the Uchiha was still slightly faster. Sasuke smirked at the big boned bone genin before jumping into the air, "Not bad fat ass but let's see how you handle this, **Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" he shouted, sending a good sized ball of flame at his opponent. Choji flew threw several hand signs before being engulfed in the flames,

'Shit, I thought he would dodge, I didn't expect him to eat it,' Sasuke thought but when the flames dispersed all that was on the ground was an empty burned bag of chips. "What the fuck?" Sasuke thought, "**Human Boulder!**" he heard and suddenly Sasuke Uchiha was sideswiped by the big ball that was Choji and the two slammed hard into the concrete wall.

Choji looked down at his defeated opponent with a smile and pride at the fact that he outsmarted the former rookie of the year but as he started to jump in celebration he saw Sasuke sit up and grin, "Not bad Choji…" he started before disappearing in a puff of smoke leaving nothing but the kunai he was holding behind. Choji turned around frantically but stopped when he felt steel at his throat, "But not good enough," the Uchiha stated calmly.

Choji looked at Sasuke sadly but accepted his defeat as he announced, "I give up," he said in disappointment but that was quickly replaced by shock as the stadium erupted. "That was great Choji!" Ino said happily, "Yea not bad man," Shikamaru said with a smile as Asuma added, "We'll get barbecue after ok you did well," he stated while lighting a cigarette. Hayate looked at the two boys before announcing,

"Winner, Sasuke Uchiha!" Choji slowly made his way back to his team but turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Your strong Choji, you just need to train a little harder," Sasuke said low enough, for only him to hear and then jumped up to the balcony to return to his team. Choji actually smiled as he returned to his teammates and Team 10 shared a group hug, slightly forced by Ino. Suddenly the bored began flashing names again and the second match was determined,

* * *

**Fu vs. Kegon**

As Fu entered the arena she couldn't help but smile at the idea of what would happen should she manage to defeat the undercover Waterfall jonin that had been chosen as her opponent. "This offer from the Hokage intrigues me Fu-san," her village leader had told her, "But even if you claim to have found real friends who accept you for you, I have to make sure your strong enough to handle yourself before I let you go," the old man told her shocking the young jinchuuriki and nearly bringing her to tears.

"As such you will be going to the chunin exams this year but you will be accompanied by two undercover jonin who will not be assisting you during the first two exams," he said confusing the girl as she inquired, "Why?" The village leader only sighed, "I honestly could care less whether your in the village or not but I don't want you getting hurt or killed over what's inside of you. The truth is your safer in the Leaf and the Waterfall Village is safer without you in it. Even so I want to make sure your skills are at least close to high chunin level so you will be facing the first two exams solo, my undercover nin's orders are only to protect you not aide you in passing. Finally the third exam is always a tournament so I'll request the Hokage to bend the rules a little and ensure you fight one of the two nin I assign you," he explained.

Fu just looked at the man as she said, "So I have to clear two exams by myself and then defeat a jonin if I want to be with the person I care for," Fu asked somewhat irritated. The village leader just replied with a smile and a nod and with that Fu suddenly came back to earth from Kegon asking, "Are you ready Fu-san?" he said to her. Fu just grinned mischievously, "Of course," she replied with a smile. "If you two are ready, you may start," Hayate suddenly announced.

Fu suddenly jumped into the air shouting, "**Blue Joro Spider Jutsu!**" and with that webs flew from the girls mouth in an attempt to trap him inside of a cage of silk but Kegon flew through several quick hand signs, "**Water Style - Water Dragon Jutsu!**" he shouted, sending a dragon made of water crashing into Fu's webs and eventually overpowering them as Fu was knocked back to the ground by the dragon's ferocity. Fu tried to get up quickly but Kegon was on her in seconds, she quickly grabbed a kunai and slashed him but he just dissolved into nothing but water,

'Crap water clone!' Fu though as got to her feet and saw she was surrounded by five other Kegon's, "Sorry Fu it's over, **Water Style - Water Shuriken Jutsu!**" he shouted and suddenly all five clones had at least three sharp shuriken made from water surrounding them. Without warning the shuriken all made their way towards Fu as she jumped into the air to dodge the jutsu but as the shuriken impaled each other she saw the water and an idea came to mind, "**Secret Art - Scaled Powder Jutsu!**" and suddenly Fu began spewing a fine powder from her mouth that began shining so brightly that everyone in the arena was blinded for a few moments.

Kegon tried to regain his vision but he could sense his water clones falling one after the other, 'I have to make more clones or I'm…' the man's thought process was interrupted by a girl diving from the ceiling and screaming, "**Hidden Waterfall Hurricane!**" she shouted socking Kegon directly on the top of his head. The jonin walked around in circles for a moment before falling to the ground,

"Winner, Fu," Hayate announced as the blue haired genin began dancing in joy. The girl looked to her other teammate who nodded and then to the Hokage who just smiled and with that she jumped up to the balcony but instead of joining her other comrade from Taki she instead met up with Team 8 who gave the girl a smile as the board began to flash several names again.

**Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro**

Shino quickly jumped down to the arena and looked at his opponent who he expected to follow in tow but when he didn't Shino wondered why. 'Shit, that bug bastard's a terrible match for me, for all I know he has a horde of termites under that coat. Having my puppet destroyed for no reason is pointless especially when we have the invasion in a month.

It's better to keep my jutsu's hidden until then and my puppets in the best condition possible,' Kankuro finalized and then looked to his sensei who nodded his head in confirmation. Kankuro gazed at Shino before looking to Hayate and announcing innocently, "Sorry I'm really not feeling well, so I'll have to forfeit," he said simply and just layed back against the wall.

No one could tell except Fu, but Shino was livid, how dare this sand prick just forfeit and lie so blatantly about the reason why. That sand bastard would pay for just ignoring him like that. Shino was suddenly snapped out of his aggravation and annoyance by Hayate announcing, "Winner, Shino Aburame," Shino huffed in anger and returned to Team 8 and his soulmate as the board began flashing once again. It finally stopped and an Unchia and an Uzumaki looked at each other with shock for a moment before grinning devilishly at the other,

* * *

**Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka **

The two rivals stared at each other from across the arena with determined expressions before Sakura suddenly burst out in laughter causing Ino to screech in anger, "What the hell is so funny Forehead Uzumaki-Dobe!" she yelled out. Sakura stopped laughing and smirked, "So Ino have you learned anything new besides that Mind Transfer trick or should I just have my clones overwhelm you, you know last time we spared our taijutsu was even and that was before I could call in reinforcements," the cherry blossom gloated.

In the stands Naruto smirked at Sasuke, "Sakura's right you know, it's a shame Ino failed so terribly at learning at your Fireball Jutsu," Naruto said with a cocky grin. Sasuke suddenly burst out laughing causing Ino to erupt as well, "What the hell is so funny, teme, pig?!" Naruto and Sakura echoed causing Ino to stop albeit with difficulty, "It's just, you insulted me for only having one trick but aren't you the clan that only has one jutsu to it's name?" she questioned. "Screw you pig at least I can use it to attack and not have my body transformed into a ragdoll for a good few minutes!" the pinkette yelled.

Suddenly Sasuke shouted causing both kunoichi's eyes to turn to him, "No more holding back Ino give Sakura everything you've got, oh and Sakura… I'm sorry," Sasuke said but before Sakura could turn to face Ino again she suddenly heard the girl shout, "**Water Style - Water Bomb Jutsu**!" Ino said and before Sakura could do a thing she was suddenly hit in the chest by an intense amount of water soaking her from head to toe as well as a decent chunk of the fighting stage that was still damp from Fu and Kegon's battle.

Sakura looked at Ino in shock as she slowly got up off the ground, "How? Where? When?" the cherry blossom questioned annoyed. Ino just chuckled, "Your baka actually answered one of those for you, you see forehead I unfortunately do not possess an affinity for fire style chakra but I did have a slight affinity to water and that's what Sasuke-kun and I have been working on for the last month," the platinum blonde finished proudly. Sakrua huffed in annoyance,

"Even so that jutsu isn't powerful enough to keep me down pig!" she replied. Ino actually looked at Sakura with a serious expression, "That's not what it was for, it was to soak you and get as much water on the arena floor as possible," she finished calmly. "Why?" Sakura questioned. Ino started to snicker, "I'm sorry if this brings back bad memories for you forehead and Fu-san thanks for making your opponent use so many water style jutsu, all this water around the room is really going to help out a lot," Ino stated confidently.

"What the fuck are you saying you pig, pig, piggy?" Sakura yelled out absolutely done with Ino's stalling. Ino looked at Sakura with a smile as she said, "It's over, "**Water Style - Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" Suddenly the entire arena was covered with a layer of mist, it was nowhere near as thick as Zabuza's but it was thick enough for Sakura's vision to be blurred,

'Shit, Sasuke copied Zabuza's jutsu and taught it to Ino-pig. On top of that her clan is part of the interrogation squad, she's probably been trained in stealth, the only thing I can do now is give her more targets and hope I find the piggy first,' Sakura finalized and finally shouted, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Two clones appeared and Sakura told them to scatter in the mist but Ino caught on to her rival's tactic,

"Making those clones won't help you Sakura, they cost way too much chakra for you to make over and over again and I'll just keep taking them down one by one," Ino explained as she sliced a Sakura clone with a kunai dispelling it. 'What the hell Ino you could of really hurt me,' the pinkette thought in annoyance but something suddenly clicked and she suddenly screamed at a decibel so high it made everyone even Gaara hold his ear's in frustration,

'She dies later,' the boy from the sand thought as the cherry blossom screamed, "You stupid baka of mine! How did you not realize our clan's signature's secret by now, you've made thousands of these things, literally! No ramen for a month!" she screeched while Naruto huddled to his knees and suddenly sobbed, not from Sakura's anger, that would pass but unfortunately her punishment would remain, the reason he knew not for.

"Oww forehead, tone it down a bit, you're crazy you know that right," Ino said to her old friend as she sliced threw Sakura's final clone. Sakura smirked but only replied, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" she said again and once again two solid clones appeared, "You know what to do," was all she said and sure enough the clones quickly moved out to execute Sakura's new strategy.

Ino sliced threw the first one easy enough and the second went soon after but suddenly she sensed something to her right but as she turned all she saw were knuckles, "**Cherry Blossom Crush!**" Sakura shouted sending Ino flying and slamming into the ground, "You like that Ino the Shadow Clone Jutsu has its own secrets but I'll be damned if I tell you Uchiha," Sakura said but lucky enough no one heard or blatantly ignored her slip up.

Ino go to her feet as she chuckled, "Not bad Uzumaki-forehead but like I said before you can only make so many clones, while this mist will remain for a little while at least. So Sakura, let's try again," she finished and disappeared into the mist once again. "Shadow Clon…" Sakura started but was interrupted by a voice in her head, 'Don't dummy we can't waste chakra, I know what she's planning help get our defenses up," Inner Sakura said with a smile. Sakura nodded, oddly to herself as she began to prepare for Ino's assault,

'Alright forehead you made fun of my mind transfer so that just means it's the perfect weapon to beat you with," Ino thought as she got into position directly behind Sakura who was standing in the center of the arena motionless, "**Mind Transfer Jutsu!**" Ino shouted but instead of doing battle with Inner Sakura in a black void as she expected she unfortunately appeared inside of a beautiful garden covered in cherry blossoms, sunflowers, and lavender scattered all around the area creating a scene which Ino could only ever picture in a story book.

Ino looked around in worry wondering where the hell she was when suddenly both versions of Sakura appeared in front of the platinum blonde, "So Ino like my garden?" Sakura asked while inner Sakura just giggled, 'Of course she does now lets kick her ass out of here, believe it!' she squealed. Sakura smiled at her counterpart before looking back to Ino who had the most dumbfounded expression on her face that Sakura had ever seen. Sakrura shared a nod with her counterpart before the pair mirrored a devilish grin and charged Ino full force giving her two hard blows to the face sending her out of Sakura's body and back to her own.

As Ino came to her senses she looked around frantically and realized her mist had dispersed and Sakura was standing their smugly, "What the hell are you? Why do you have two personalities inside of you?" the blonde growled out in a mix of curiosity and anger. Sakura continued to smile but it suddenly vanished and Ino saw the cherry blossom sigh,

"She's my suppressed inner perv," Sakura finally admitted causing Ino to look at her in shock. Sakura raised her head again to meet her old friend's gaze with a smile as Ino's expression slowly shifted from small giggles to all out laughter. Sakura's laughter quickly matched her friends but eventually the two girls calmed down, "Wow Sakura, I'm impressed, six months ago you'd of given up by now just because your hair got all messed up," she teased causing Sakura to chuckle. "Your not wrong Ino but weren't you the same way, I can't believe how much you've improved. I'm definitely happy that we were chosen to battle each other, believe it!" she replied with glee.

Ino smiled smugly before asking, "So one final charge?" Sakura nodded with determination and just as quickly the two girl's charged each other putting the last of their strength into this final attack, "Sakura!" "Ino!" they both shouted as both of their fist collided with the other's face.

The two kunoichi fell to the ground oddly enough with smiles on their faces as Hayate quickly announced, "Double Knockout, neither advances," he said simply and within seconds Sasuke and Naruto were on the arena floor. Both boys picked up their respective partners and smiled at them before staring determinedly at the other,

"Our match won't end in a tie, believe it!" the blonde said with confidence causing Sasuke to smirk, "You're right dobe because I'll be defeating you," he replied cockily and just jumped up to the balcony with Naruto following soon after. Hinata rushed over to the two girls and picked up Sakura's medical pouch, she didn't have as much knowledge as Sakura but she could help her two friends a little at least. As Hinata began treating their injuries the board flashed through several names again and the next match was finally revealed,

* * *

**Tenten vs. Temari**

The two kunoichi eagerly jumped down to the arena floor and faced each other ready for combat, Temari had a giant fan strapped to her back while Tenten had a two scrolls in her hands. Suddenly Hayate started the match but neither kunoichi moved a muscle until suddenly Tenten slammed her hands to the ground shouting,

"**Unsealing Jutsu!**" she screamed and suddenly several sharp and deadly weapons flew towards the kunoichi from the sand causing her to smirk, "That may be troublesome for your average shinobi," she started calmly while opening her fan and rearing it back, "But against a wind user like me, you're totally screwed, **Wind Scythe Jutsu!**" Temari shouted while waving her fan and just as quickly all of TenTen's weapons were sent back with force a few of them scratching her but she avoided serious harm nonetheless,

'Ugh, she's right, my only hope is to get in close before she can blow me away and land a good enough hit or get her into a situation where she is forced to give up,' the girl in the chinese attire thought and then looked to Lee and Neji who were cheering her on, well more Lee but Tenten knew Neji cared at least a little. Tenten looked back to Temari as she began,

"You're right summoning weapons and just throwing them at you won't work but if I can get in close enough and prevent you from using your fan, well this becomes a whole new game, doesn't it," Temari looked at the girl for a few minutes before chuckling, "If you think that it will, be my guest," Tenten looked at the sand nin with fire in her eyes as she went to her ankles and dropped her weights which fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Suddenly Tenten sprinted Temari full force scrolls in hand, she was impressed by the girl's new speed but Temari knew her strategy and where she would strike. She waited patiently for the right moment and as Tenten appeared behind her Temari turned waving her fan with force as she shouted,

"**Wind Scythe Jutsu!**" she said again but this time trapping Tenten herself and sending her flying crashing into the ceiling with a loud crunch and then slowly she fell back to the ground, "Taking off those weights made you faster but you're lighter too, what a drag for you," the sand kunoichi stated. Temari quickly closed her fan and spun it around so the blunt end would hit Tenten's back hard.

This finally happened and within seconds Hayate announced, "Winner, Temari," and just as suddenly Lee was on the arena floor. Temari tossed Tenten like a rag-doll over to Lee who caught her before she hit the ground as he scowled at the sand nin, "You didn't have to take it that far, she did everything she could," he said in anger causing Temari to laugh,

"Please, she was weak just like you are, what a drag, I was hoping for a real opponent, such a shame," the sand kunoichi said simply and then quickly returned to join her brothers. Lee continued to scowl at the girl but slowly shifted his attention back to Tenten as he looked around the arena and quickly spotted Neji's cousin apparently treating Sakura and Ino's injuries. He thought about it for only a second before jumping up towards Team 7 and asking Naruto and the Hyuga princess,

"Please can you help?" he asked them in concern. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other in shock for a moment before the blonde shifted his gaze back to Hinata. When he saw her smile and nod that was all the knucklehead needed, "Sure Lee believe it, you and Tenten are our friends to you know," he said with a goofy grin. Lee laid Tenten down next to Sakura and Ino and turned to face the son of the fourth again. Lee broke he sobbed into Naruto's chest as he swarmed him with gratitude, "Thank you Naruto-san you are too kind," he spit out through anime tears. As this went on the board flashed several different names again before the next pair was finally revealed, "

**Shikamaru Nara vs. Yoro**

Shikamaru looked at the near grown man from the Waterfall Village and just sighed, 'Way to troublesome,' the Nara thought but the Waterfall jonin had his own concerns. 'It's not fair for me to hold this kid back, our mission was to make sure Fu got to the Leaf safely and that she was strong enough to be able to defeat either Kegon or myself alone which she's already done,' the undercover shinobi thought as he turned his gaze back to the blue haired jinchuuriki who was standing with the Aburame's team laughing and joking happier than he had ever seen her before.

'And she was offered to join the Leaf and accepted so our mission was technically complete having a weapon that a village can't value is a weapon that a village no longer deserves after all,' the leader of their village had told the two jonin.

Meanwhile Shikamaru was attempting to give up but was having his mouth held shut but an obnoxious platinum blonde that had miraculously recovered and had rushed to his side sensing her teammates laziness even unconsciously, "You get the fuck down their right now Shikamaru or so help me Kami I will torture you until the day you die!" she wailed at her comrade. Shikamaru groaned but nodded and once he was released he shared his own opinions causing his literal downfall,

"You already do Ino… pig," Shikamaru snickered and was suddenly ejected from the balcony hearing a large scream, "Screw you Shikamaru!" she yelled as the Nara heir crashed into the arena floor with a loud thud. "Oww," Shikamaru said as he got to his feet and stared at his opponent but then his jaw dropped, "I give up," the undercover nin said with a smile as he jumped back up to the balcony without another word. Shikamaru fell to the floor actually in a fit of laughter but quickly calming down and proceeding to flip off Ino causing her to glare,

"Told you my laziness wasn't too troublesome," he said as he made his way to the optional set of stairs. Ino huffed in annoyance at the fact that she still hadn't passed when she had fought her hardest and the lazy bastard had passed without even trying. Meanwhile a Sand kunochi hated the fact that she had found the boy's antics rather cute but shrugged off the feeling at once remembering their plan that would take place in just a month. Suddenly the board began to flash names once again and the two dead-last students of the academy looked at each other with cockiness evident in their expressions.

* * *

**Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka**

Naruto and Kiba both shared a grin as the pair descended they heard Sakura shout, "Kick his ass Naruto-kun!" she cried as Hinata added, "Do your best Naruto-kun and you too Kiba-kun," she added sweetly. Both boys turned to them and nodded and the pair of shinobi returned to staring the other down, "Like I said before Naruto, I don't care how strong you think you've gotten but your still no match for me and Akamaru here," he said causing his canine companion to join him on the battlefield. Naruto snickered,

"Tell you what Kiba, I'll give you two free hits believe it!" the blonde said cockily. Kiba barked in agitation, "You think this a joke fine I'll just have to show you how serious I am, **Man Baeat Taijutsu - Fang Over Fang!**" he shouted and suddenly both the boy and his dog were sent flying into Naruto with spiraling force sending the blonde through the air but quickly landing on his feet. Kiba noticed and tried again,

"**Man Baeat Taijutsu - Fang Over Fang!**"Kiba repeated and again hit Naruto hard in the solar plexus causing him to fly toward the wall and two girls to echo, "Naruto-kun!" Naruto quickly spun around and landed on his feet standing perfectly parallel to the side of the wall as he began to laugh, "The teme's weren't wrong, I do only have one jutsu but it's more than enough to defeat you dog breath and those were your two free hits, believe it!" he replied with a smile as he jumped down to meet his opponent again.

Kiba just stared at him angrily but didn't have the time to ask as the blonde shouted, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he screamed and suddenly five hundred Naruto clones were all standing proudly behind the baka while Kiba and a good chunk of the arena sat their stunned. "You like this Kiba, well it's over everyone charge!" he shouted sending his massive wave of clones in one after another as punches, kicks and other brutal blows were inflicted on the Inuzuka. Suddenly Kiba was kicked into the air and he saw another Naruto waiting for him,

"**500x Uzumaki Barrage!**" he yelled as he slammed Kiba's head in with a good kick sending him to the ground creating a nice carter where Kiba was currently residing. Kiba just laid there motionless for a few moments before finally passing out, "Winner, Naruto Uzumaki," Hayate announced and with that Naruto picked up Kiba and brought him to Team 7 which by know had become the most crowded area in the stands as well as a surrogate medical tent.

"Sakura-chan do you mind?" Naruto asked the cherry blossom who just smiled and replied, "Not at all," as she began treating the injuries Kiba had suffered from is one sided confrontation against her baka. As this went on the board flashed the last four names before finally choosing the stages next victims,

**Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga**

Neji smile almost seemed to big as Gai sensei warned him, "Don't take this personally Neji just defeat her and advance, ok," Gai told the young Hyuga but he failed to reply as he leapt down to the arena his odd smile never leaving his face. Naruto looked to Hinata who had a shocked look at first but quickly shifted it to one of determination as she faced her soulmate,

"I'll be fine Naruto-kun," she said simply as she turned towards Neji and just said, "Besides this is something that would have to be done sooner or later," Hinata finished as she suddenly descended down to battle her cousin. Neji just smirked at her before Hayate announced, "If your ready you may begin," he said but neither Byakugan wielder moved a muscle.

Neji started laughing causing Hinata to scowl a bit before asking, "What's so funny brother?" she questioned. Neji laughing ended slowly as he looked at his cousin with disdain, "It's just funny how your acting like you've changed. The Hinata I knew a few months ago would never have the courage to scowl at me let alone actually fight me," he said with ice in his voice. Hinata smirked, "I'm not the same Hinata I used to be, my friends and Naruto-kun helped come out of my shell and I couldn't be happier to be a part of their lives," she replied.

Neji started a scowl of his own this time, "Is that why you've been wearing that joke of a cloak with that third rate clan symbol on your back, what a disgrace a Hyuga belittled down to one of the Uzumaki's whores, unbelievable," he said with malice. "I'll break your legs you prick, Hinata don't kick this guy's ass for me do it because he's a prick who needs to be put into his place, believe it!" Naruto said from the bleachers while most of the rookie ten held him back from attacking the Hyuga from Team Gai.

Hinata looked up fondly at her friends before gazing back to Neji, "You've always talked about how no one can ever change, that people can never become better no matter what changes they try to implement into their lives," Hinata started causing Neji to reply, "That's right what of it!" he yelled out but Hinata's expression remained unfazed.

"But you were wrong me, Naruto-kun, Sakura, and everyone else her including you," she said while pointing directly at the angry genin, "Are evidence to the contrary," she finished calmly. Neji just continued to gaze at her with disgust until he finally ripped his headband off and showed everyone the cage seal embedded onto his forehead,

"This mark means regardless of what you or anyone else says, I am still a prisoner a slave, being able to be killed by you or the elders anytime you wish as well as never knowing my soulmate because the bird cage seal prevents the Soul Seal Jutsu from activating and I will always hate you and the main house because of it, now get ready Hinata Uzumaki!" Neji said as he suddenly charged Hinata with their signature Hyuga strikes designed specifically for blocking the targets chakra points.

Hinata did her best to counter but she had to put some distance between them, she backed away before Neji could damage her body anymore than he already had as she shouted, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" she said causing two clones to appear. Neji started laughing, "So you have the same trick as the Haruno, you should know that jutsu's a joke compared to our clan's techniques allow me to show you," he said grinning cynically as he began attacking Hinata's clones with over confidence but giving Hinata the opportunity she needed to get in close as she whispered into Neji''s ear,

"I will do everything in my power to help you brother because I am and forever will be Hinata Hyuga," she said calmly as Neji struck what he thought was Hinata's last clone but as it poofed away he quickly looked around the arena to find his cousin gone. Without warning a loud poof behind Neji signaled him to Hinata's position as she tried getting Neji with a kunai attacking from the Byakugan's only weak spot as she finished her last statement in a whisper,

"But I am also Hinata Namikaze," she said but instead of Neji being surprised by this revelation his speed seemed to only increase as he finally caught Hinata in an attack, "**Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms, Thirty-two Palms, Sixty-four Palms!**" Neji shouted launching a full frontal assault on the poor Hyuga heiress. Almost all of her Chakra points were blocked and she was bloody and bruised from Neji's attacks causing him to smile.

He went for one more blow but was stopped by several kunai surrounding his throat. He turned around and was about to complain but quickly shut the fuck up as he saw who was threatening him. Team 8, Team 7, and Team 10 were all surrounding the Hyuga ready for the kill as Fu and Naruto leaked out the smallest bits of tailed beast chakra.

Neji just smirked before turning around and jumping to the balcony but as he reached the top he heard a blonde shout, "Neji for what you did to Hinata, I'm going to crush you!" Naruto yelled and as he finished suddenly Hinata collapsed and finally, the jonin arrived as Naruto and Sakura rushed to her side attempting to examine her injuries, "She's pretty beat up but we interfered before it could get to bad, I think," Sakura said as she looked at the girl barely holding back her tears and then scowling at Neji before looking to her baka.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura shouted causing all eyes to turn to her, "Make sure you win and Neji!" she said now glaring at the person who had harmed the Byakugan princess, "Be ready because Naruto never goes back on his word, so in short you're screwed, believe it!" she said and almost instinctively she helped Hinata onto the stretcher that had been brought in by the medics,

"I'll go with Hinata and you stay and watch the final match, ok Naruto-kun," she kissed his cheek and quickly followed the medics out as the rest of the rookies returned to the balcony Naruto opted for the stairs to reflect on what had just happened and how he was going to defeat Neji. As the container of the nine-tails reached the stairs the final match was determined,

* * *

**Gaara vs. Rock Lee**

The genin in green spandex cheered with fire in his eyes as his name was called quickly jumping down to the arena. His opponent however wasn't so eager and proceed to take the stairs. Lee sighed but just began warming up with a series of squat thrust and push ups as he waited for his opponent. Meanwhile the jinchuuriki of the one-tails and nine-tails were coming face to face for the first time.

They looked at each other for a few moments as fear began to creep down Naruto's spine, 'What's this freaks deal, he's just staring at me,' Naruto thought as he made his way past the boy he heard him speak, "I'm going… to slaughter all of you," he said simply causing Naruto to turn around quickly but the boy was long gone. Naruto scratched his head at this new mystery as he made his way to the balcony and stood next to Sasuke.

"What do you think dobe?" Sasuke asked him as he gazed at the two fighters in the ring. Naruto said almost immediately, "Lee should forfeit," Sasuke turned to Naruto with a look of disgust on his face but saw his friend wasn't joking and just asked him angrily, "Why?" Naruto just focused his gaze at the two fighters in the ring, "I honestly don't know Sasuke but it's just... a feeling," Sasuke smirked,

"Would you?" Naruto turned his head to Sasuke with an anger on his face as he replied, "Hell No!" causing the raven haired boy to laugh, "So how can you expect Lee to," he stated. Naruto smiled but his gaze turned solemn as he watched the beginning of the match. "Alright this will be the final match of the preliminaries when you two are ready you may begin," Hayate said as quickly Lee tried rushing Garra with a series of brutal blows,

"He's only using Taijutsu," Sasuke commented and Naruto nodded in confirmation causing Kakashi to raise his head from his novel, "That boy is Gai's personal protege, he posses no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu from what I've heard," he stated nonchalantly as Sasuke asked him smugly, "Who's your protege sensei?" "You," the jonin said without thinking, causing an intense glare from Naruto, Kakashi sighed and just said,

"I found someone more compatible to you and your skills to train you, meet them at the hot springs tomorrow and you'll see who I mean. I promise Naruto you will not be disappointed," he said handing him three free ramen coupons as an apology. Naruto's glare softened to a scowl as he snatched the coupons out of his hands and just replied,

"Whatever he better not be a total pervert like you sensei," He said in annoyance causing Sasuke to chuckle as he and the blonde returned their attention to the fight. Lee still hadn't landed any blows on Gaara but suddenly the bushy browed genin dropped his training weights and became just fast enough to pierce Gaara's absolute defense. Gaara tried retaliating with his sand but Lee's speed kept increasing as his chakra began to flare uncontrollably. Kakashi actually dropped his book causing Naruto and Sasuke to look at their sensei his expression actually frightening them,

"What were you thinking teaching that boy The Eight Inner gates!" he shouted causing Gai to scowl him, "You don't know a damn thing about Lee, so worry about your own students Kakashi," Gai replied as Naruto asked slightly confused, "The Eight Inner Gates?" Kakashi looked to his students as he explained the risk and dangers of such a jutsu and finally finished with, "I don't know what would possess Gai to teach him that but just watch maybe we'll all come to understand," he said and with that the remaining members of Team 7 returned their gazes back to the match.

Lee was staring down Gaara with a determined expression when he suddenly shouted, "**Third Gate, Gate of Life,** **Open!**" Lee suddenly charged Gaara his increased strength and speed actually forcing the sand nin off his feet and into the air using the bandages that Lee had on his arms to trap the sand nin, "**Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain,** **Open**," Lee shouted once again as he continued to pummel Gaara into the air with a vicious cycle of kicks that came one right after the other, "**Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing,** **Open!**" As Lee opened his final available gate he smashed Gaara's face hard into the ground with his foot, "Yes, I did it!" he said aloud but when his gaze turned back to the ground he was shocked to see Gaara open his eyes having lessened the impact with his vast amounts of sand.

He was injured but managed to turn his gaze as he lay on the ground and move his hand sending vast amounts of sand towards the exhausted and injured leaf genin. Lee was tired but he jumped trying to avoid the encroaching sand unfortunately Lee was too slow as Gaara's attack quickly caught his arm and leg, "**Sand Coffin,"** Gaara said quietly as his sand crushed all of the bones in one of Lee's arms and leg causing him to cry out in pain.

Gaara tried to go for the kill but his sand was quickly wiped away by Gai who was immediately questioned by the confused sand nin, "Why did you save him?" Gai looked at Gaara with disgust as he responded, "Simple because Lee is precious to me," he said as he picked up his apprentice and laid him on the stretcher the medics had quickly provided.

Unfortunately for Team Gai the medics had some very grim news, "I'm sorry but this boy, no Lee will never be a shinobi again," he said simply causing Gai and Tenten to burst out in tears. Naruto and Sasuke looked on in shock at Lee's utter destruction by the hand of Gaara and the fact that he had injured the fiery genin permanently to the point of forced retirement.

Eventually though Gai, Tenten, and Lee made their departure to the hospital while Neji waited to find out who his opponent would be in the next round. In the stands of Team 7, Sasuke looked at Naruto in shock at the truth of the blonde's words but quickly saw that his friend definitely wasn't bragging and just staring at the sand nin oddly who by now had gotten to his feet and rejoined his siblings. Hayate suddenly appeared in the center of the arena and announced, "Alright congratulations to those who passed the preliminaries in exactly one months time we will hold the finals and these are the match ups,"

**1st match, Shino Aburame vs Fu**

**2nd match, Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari**

**3rd match, Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga**

**4th match, Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara**

"I hope you all train hard and prepare well for your matches, good luck," was all the proctor said before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Naruto turned to Kakashi sensei and Sasuke but his jaw dropped when he realized, they were already gone.

"Damn teme and teme sensei," Naruto muttered as he exited the arena and found his way to the Leaf's hospital to check up on his Hinata-chan and maybe Lee. After arriving the baka quickly made his way too Hinata's room and saw Sakura peeling an apple watching over her as she slept peacefully. "Is she ok?" Naruto questioned the cherry blossom, Sakura could only sigh as she enveloped him into a hug and said,

"She'll be here for at least two weeks but yeah she'll be ok but what about you, who's your opponent in the next round?" she wondered. Naruto chuckled a little, "Neji while Sasukes stuck fighting the sand creep, luckily for him sensei decided to take him on a personal training trip and supposedly I'm going to meet someone better suited to hone my skills at the hot springs tomorrow, believe it!" Naruto replied causing Sakura to smile but she did ask, "Who and why the hot springs?" Naruto could only sigh,

"I don't know Sakura-hime but I guess I'll just have to find out for myself," he replied. The two stayed with Hinata the entire night leaving only once for individual visits to check on Lee but it was apparent that Gai and Tenten didn't want any visitors. Eventually the next morning came and the blonde gave Hinata a kiss on the cheek while promising her, "I'll train hard Hinata-hime and I promise I'll prove that everything you said in that arena was true, believe it," he said before hugging Sakura goodbye and rushing to his apartment taking a shower and packing some gear before heading to the Konoha Hot Springs.

* * *

June 7th, 64 AFL

The day after the preliminary rounds Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze found himself at the Konoha Hot Springs looking at a man he remembered only as Konohamaru's closet pervert of a sensei Ebisu, "Ebsiu sensei no offense but what exactly do you have to teach me that's going to be of any use," the blonde asked the man causing Ebsiu to chuckle. He formed a quick hand sign and quickly walked into the hot springs, without falling in.

"Wow sensei you can walk on water," Naruto grinned somewhat impressed. Ebisu actually chuckled, "You can to Naruto just try it but don't worry if you don't…" Ebisu was cut off as the blonde easily walked onto the water stumbling at first but after a good five minutes Naruto had mastered the technique. "So what's next sensei?" the blonde grinned at the man causing him to sigh,

"The truth is Naruto I didn't expect you to master that so quickly someone else is supposed to show up here sometime today and take over for me but until then all I have for you is to practice the water walking technique," Ebsiu finished causing the blonde to scowl, "So your just throwing me away too, whatever I'll just work on building and controlling my chakra then, believe it, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted causing four clones to appear and just like the original they all began practicing the technique. Ebsiu looked at the boy astonished as he asked,

"Naruto where did you get that idea, to implement your clones into your training I mean?" The original Naruto looked to man with a smile as he told him, "Sakura-chan figured it out during her match, we figured if the clones experience the same things we do, then training should work the same way, you know," he finished as he began concentrating at building his chakra and improving his control.

It was nearly nightfall when Naruto saw Ebsiu sensei flying through the sky and the blonde turned his head to see a man with long white hair standing at the edge of the spring eyeing him oddly. "Umm, who are you and why did you send my sensei into orbit?" the blonde asked causing the old man to grin mischievously,

"I am Jiraiya the Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku!" he nearly yelled causing the blonde to wonder, 'Who the hell is this nutcase?" Naruto thought and as if reading the boy's mind he answered smugly, "I'm your real trainer," was all he said before the blonde baka fell into the hot springs with a look of utter shock and devastation.

* * *

**AN: Chapter was definitely difficult but eventually got it done lol. **

**Want to clear up a few things about how this system I've created really works. So everyone knows who their partner is going to be when they reach genin and go through the Soul Seal Jutsu basically after that officially at least they are only like engaged. After that the two must wait until both partners are at least sixteen or they reach chunin status. Then they can have an official ceremony where the girls will officially take on the last names of their spouses. Of course they can hold off on the ceremony until anytime after they reach the acceptable criteria again either both chunin or over sixteen and that's when for example, "Sakura Haruno will become officially Sakura Uzumaki if and when they choose to have an official ceremony. This is why all of the girls only have their maiden names called on the monitor and the reason Kabuto had that extra data because why would you not want to know the closest people to someone you might want to attack. Hope that clears at least a few things up. **

**Figured I'd mention character ages because why not everyone all of the rookie 9 including Fu are 12 except, Gaara, Shino, Sakura and Choji whom are at 13 only because their birthdays have already passed this year in the story, obviously everyone else is older and I honestly don't see the point in mentioning their exact ages**

**Notes on the fights, Sasuke vs. Choji: Yes I know Sasuke was totally hospitalized after having the curse mark suppressed but I needed him here and he suffered far less injuries in the forest than he did in canon and on top of that I made sure he was definitely winded and really had to kinda outsmart Choji. Yes Choji and Kauri no real reason to change that but I will tell you that they will kick off a bit quicker but it will still be a very very long time before she enters the story. If your wondering why Ino went crazy against Sasuke she knew what he was doing and was actually helping him get Choji motivated**

**Fu vs. Kegon: Yes you already probably realized but Fu is with her two jonin from season 19 again still haven't watched but I figured using them worked well here by giving Fu one final test before she says goodbye to the home that's really treated her like crap her whole life. Kegon was stated to be very proficient in water style jutsu which is why he was an easy opponent to put against Fu over Yoro and it helped Ino's use of water later if the arena was already drenched. Also if your wondering why a village would ever agree to let go of jinchuuriki, A) Most of the village hates them and considers them a threat and wants them gone anyway B) Having a rare weapon like the Byju can drawn in powerful enemies who could attack the village and C) From what I could find no one went looking for her after she disappeared in the original timeline anyway**

**Shino vs. Kankuro: I have plans you will have to wait and see**

**Sakura vs. Ino: Been planning that one since the very start of the fic hinted at Ino's water and earth releases as well as had Sasuke at least be able to activate the sharingan at will so he could copy Zabuza's jutsu for her. If you're wondering the Hidden Mist Jutsu believe it or not is D-ranked and really anyone could learn it but obviously Ino's mist was nowhere near as dense as Zabuza's who was a master and the Water Bomb Jutsu is also pretty basic so I figured it was believable they could find a scroll or something. Sakura's garden was really all I could do for Sakura's genjutsu, It was made to symbolize the bond between herself Naruto and Hinata which is why there are a mix of pinks, yellows, and purples scattered around and it acts sort of as a mental defense. Sakura's inner is legitimately nothing more than a fun character to play with she has no place in the main plot and is only here for comic relief. **

**TenTen vs. Temari: Really couldn't do much gave Tenten weights and made her slightly faster really all I could do with them**

**Shikamaru Nara vs. Yoro: Again didn't really want to use Yoro and Shikamaru's opponent giving up before his lazy ass could made me laugh sorry but thought it was funny and saved me a load of time doing research for just one fight. **

**Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka: Yeah I am truly sorry Kiba fans but with barely any injures from the forest of death, a goodnight sleep, and a meal on top of no five prong seal. Kiba was screwed no chance sorry and it was time to start introducing the Uzumaki Barrages which he kinda used on Mishito so in a way in this timeline it evolved from his battle with him and Mizuki,**

**Neji Hyuga vs. Hinata Hyuga: Hinata is different, she's much more confident has really close friends and Naruto wants her to fight for herself and prove herself but not fight a hopeless battle trying to prove something to him or go to an extreme like dying when she doesn't have too. I tried getting Hinata into Neji's blind spot I know the Byakugan is super op and he would have never lost Hinata and it can see through clones but please just accept he was cocky and not paying attention, it's Hinata in Neji eyes and losing her even for a second made him angry enough to show off his sixty-four palms a bit earlier than in canon. Yeah birdcage seal means Neji will never find his soulmate or will he… Ps it may not be what your thinking he has a partner somewhere. Yes the entire rookie 9 came and stopped the fight before Hinata got too injured but she's still pretty banged up but she will definitely be in better shape come the finals then in canon, although not by much and this has effectively distracted both Sakura and Naruto from the Uchiha's situation**

**Gaara vs. Lee: Again really couldn't do too much and didn't even bother covering it in great detail. This is one of the best fights in the series and really does need to be watched or read in its original context, I do not believe and amateur writer like me could do it true justice and I am sorry for that**

**Plan on having short soul seal flashbacks for both of the couple fights, "Shika/Tema and Fu/Shino because why not. The first three fights will definitely be unique the only one that really has to go extremely similar is Sasuke vs. Gaara for plot reasons but I will try to spice it up a bit.**

**Figured I might as well mention that Sakura never cut her hair in the forest of death. From most fics I've read Naruto likes girls with long hair so Sakura will likely never cut it and Hinata has been growing her's out as well it's basically at her part 2 length already and in the original Sasuke was rumored to like long hair as well so Ino and Karin will likely never cut theirs**

**Yes Orochimaru still snuck his way in somehow to watch the fights considering he sat under the nose of the third hokage at the finals for at least a couple of hours**

**Yes Sakura figured out the shadow clone secret early but I don't intend to have Naruto go crazy because A) It would break the story B) I'm pretty sure using too many clones draws out the nine-tails chakra which is why Yamato had to be their for his rasenshuriken training, so five clones is probably good, I hope**

**Figured I'd mention that even if I upload two chapters within days my self imposed rule is two weeks and that will remain the longest expected wait hopefully just wanted to keep everyone in the loop on what the deal is and also sorry if Kakashi seemed kinda jerkish didn't really intend for that but he did hook up Naruto with Pervy Sage and even had Ebsiu teach him water walking at least in this fic, Naruto learned it in minutes after having the five prong seal removed by Pervy Sage so I see no reason why he wouldn't get the technique in the same amount of time.**

**Thank you to all of you and I hoped you enjoyed! **


	13. Jiraiya the Toad Sage

**Chapter 13: Jiraiya the Toad Sage**

* * *

June 7th, 64 AFL

It was early in the morning when Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze awoke from his slumber to the sounds of Sakura's breathing on his shoulder. He slowly looked around the room and saw Hinata in her hospital bed and suddenly the events of the last few days replayed themselves in the boy's mind.

Remembering Kakashi's words from yesterday Naruto decided he would head to his apartment for a quick shower and breakfast before meeting his mystery trainer at the hot springs. He tried getting to his feet without disturbing the cherry blossom sitting next to him but it was to little avail as she suddenly awoke, blinking a few times before looking his way,

"Are you heading out now?" she asked him while he stood by Hinata's bedside gazing at her with affection, "Yea, I'll need all the time I can get if I'm going to defeat Neji and avenge Hinata, believe it, Sakura-chan," he stated honestly. Sakura looked at Naruto and Hinata with a small smile before the boy started speaking again,

"I promise you Hinata-hime, I'm going to prove that everything you said in that arena was true," he said softly as he rubbed his fingers over her hand and then slowly leaned down and kissed her cheek. With that Naruto straightened himself up and embraced Sakura tightly,

"Watch over her for me please, I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to either of you," he asked causing the young kunoichi to blush and smile, "I promise Naruto-kun, you just train hard and make sure to kick Neji's ass when you get back, cha!" she said happily trying to heighten his spirits. Naruto smiled back before tightening their embrace just a little and pecking her forehead, with that he waved goodbye and left for his apartment.

As soon as the blonde arrived he showered quickly before scarfing down half a dozen bowls of whole grain cereal. With those tasks thoroughly finished he dressed in one of his standard orange jumpsuits strapped his cloak to his back, grabbed his weapon holster and headed for the hot springs.

Once Naruto arrived he was greeted by the man he knew only as Konohamaru's closet pervert of a sensei Ebisu, "Ebsiu sensei no offense but what exactly do you have to teach me that's going to be of any use," the blonde asked Ebisu causing him to chuckle. He formed a quick hand sign and quickly walked into the hot springs, without falling in.

"Wow sensei you can walk on water," Naruto grinned somewhat impressed. Ebisu continued to chuckle, "You can to Naruto, just try it but don't worry if you don't…" Ebisu was cut off as the blonde easily walked onto the water, stumbling at first but after a good five minutes Naruto had mastered the technique. "So what's next sensei?" the blonde grinned at the man causing him to sigh,

"The truth is Naruto I didn't expect you to master that so quickly someone else is supposed to show up here sometime today and take over for me but until then all I have for you is to practice the water walking technique," Ebsiu finished causing the blonde to scowl, "So your just throwing me away to, whatever I'll just work on building and controlling my chakra then, believe it,

**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted causing four clones to appear and just like the original they all began practicing his new technique. Ebsiu looked at the boy astonished as he asked, "Naruto where did you get that idea, to implement your clones into your training I mean?" The original Naruto looked to man with a smile as he told him,

"Sakura-chan figured it out during her match, we figured if the clones experience the same things we do, then training should work the same way, you know," he finished as he began concentrating at building his chakra and improving his control. Ebisu smiled at the young blonde for once as he looked at the boy who he simply viewed at as the demon brat just a few short months before,

'I was so wrong about you Naruto, first you work your way up from dead last of your year to someone potentially worthy of becoming a chunin. Then you help and inspire young Konohamaru in a way I never possibly could. I am proud and grateful to be your sensei Naruto and I truly am sorry,' the man thought as he just watched the young ninja and his clones train for several hours stopping only for very short breaks every now and again.

Without warning Ebisu's attention was snapped from the genin in training to the sight of an old white haired man who was giggling slightly while glancing through a peephole. Ebsiu smirked before fixing his glasses and charging the aged pervert full force screaming,

"How dishonorable peeking in the women's bath house is unforgivable, your despicable actions will continue no longer!" Naruto turned his head in response and saw his sensei charging an old man who was now sitting upon a toad that was roughly three times the size of it's rider. Without warning the toad opened his mouth extending his lengthy tongue grabbing poor Ebisu and launching him high into the sky all the way to the other side of the Leaf Village while it's rider screamed,

"Shut up you dumb ass, do you want to get us caught!" The man with long white hair standing at the edge of the spring then turned his gaze to the genin as he began eyeing him oddly. "Umm, who are you and why did you send my sensei into orbit?" the blonde questioned causing the old man to grin mischievously, "I am Jiraiya the Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku!" he nearly yelled causing the blonde to wonder, 'Who is this nutcase?' he thought and as if reading the boy's mind he answered smugly,

"I'm your real trainer," was all he said before the blonde baka fell into the hot springs with a look of utter shock and devastation. Jiraiya started laughing hysterically at his secret godson's reaction but held his hand out to help him out of the water which caused the shocked blonde to actually smile as he got to his feet, "So what's the plan Pervy Sage!" he said with excitement causing the sannin to sigh,

'Damn, already no respect,' he looked at Naruto again and couldn't help but match the boy's smile with his own as he replied, "You look exhausted, come on grab your stuff and follow me, I have a camp site set up just outside of the village and don't call me Pervy Sage," he finished and started heading toward the direction of the village gates and out of the hot springs. Naruto quickly got to his feet, grabbed his gear and followed close behind the elder man as he said gratefully,

"Thanks Ero-sensei, you know I was wondering who was I going to find to train me after Kakashi dumped me for the teme but now I see what he meant, believe it!" he stated grinning like the fool he was. Jiraiya grinned for a moment before suddenly exploding, "Don't call me Ero-sensei either you brat!" he yelled out but the blonde only chuckled hearing no malice in his new sensei's voice,

"Ok it was one or the other but since you wouldn't even let me have me one I think I'll just use both, believe it, Pervy Sage, Ero-sensei!" he declared while laughing and then sprinting ahead of the white haired man with delight apparent in his voice and expression. Pervy Sage sighed again but smiled as he quickened his pace to match the boy's and the two quickly made their way to Jiraiya's campsite before having a tasty meal. As soon as Naruto was done devouring everything in sight he collapsed into a state of utter bliss into the world of his dreams.

* * *

June 8th, 64 AFL

Early the next morning a groggy looking blonde was standing in front of a grinning Jiraiya as he yawned the blonde heard the sounds of girls giggling nearby and could hear the sound of water running. He looked past the older man to see just enough of a gap through the trees and bushes to spot a waterfall with several gorgeous women swimming in the pool at the waterfall's bottom. Naruto's attention returned to the sage and seeing the man's massive nosebleed could only think,

'Great he's an even bigger pervert than Kakashi sensei,' "So who the hell are you really!" he suddenly asked again. Jiraiya only smiled as he suddenly announced loudly again, "I'm your trainer and like I said before, my name is Jiraiya and I'm the toad sage of Mt. Myoboku," he repeated but seeing the blonde's scowl he decided to add, "I was also the teacher of the Fourth Hokage," Naruto's eyes widened and he asked without hesitation,

"Wait you trained my dad!" Pervy Sage maintained his composure but inside his emotions were mixed in a state of shock and anger, 'Shit, who fucking told him!' the sage thought but started laughing trying to cover up his true involvement with Minato Namikaze, "Yeah a really long time ago and now aren't you lucky to have me as a trainer," he teased. Naruto huffed, this guy was hiding something but he knew he couldn't force it out of the older man.

Remembering Hinata in her bed back at the hospital he decided it was best to drop the subject for now and get down to training, "Ok Ero-sensei, so what do you have to teach me?" he asked genuinely curious as to what the old pervert had up his sleeve. Pervy Sage grinned at the blonde's change in subject, "Well, what do you got?" he asked his young apprentice.

Naruto scratched his head and started raising fingers as he listed his techniques using his hand, "Water walking, tree climbing, transformation, and shadow clones," he finished proudly. Pervy Sage only frowned, he stayed that way for a few moments before throwing his arm's up into the air while constantly hearing the giggling girls behind them, 'This kid's not advanced enough yet, damn you Kakashi,' he thought. He looked back to his secret god son as he replied seriously enough so the blonde would get the message,

"Screw this, your not advanced enough for me yet," he announced and with that he moved to the perfect peeking position to spy on the lovely lady's swimming area. Naruto fell over backwards but got to his feet in anger and frustration as he screamed out, "Pervy Sage, ero-sensei, your a joke, a joke, believe it!," he repeated but just as quickly an extraordinary idea came to mind causing him to smirk oddly enough in a more Sasuke like manner than Naruto,

'Ok pervert you want girls I'll give you girls,' he thought. Suddenly the pervert felt a tap on his shoulder but shoved it away ignoring it until he heard a desperately cute and seductive voice, "Oh Jiraiya-sama how can you be so rough," he heard, in surround sound. Pervy Sage instantly turned around to see several Narukos surrounding him. The female clones started leaning up against him and the suddenly the elder knew no more as he passed out from a mix of blood loss, shock, and bad thoughts flowing through his mind.

Unfortunately for Naruto as he dispersed his harem jutsu the girls swimming in the area heard the pervert's cry of pleasure and were all surrounding the pair giving the two a look he knew all too well, "Harem crap," Naruto muttered under his breath and with that the girls began their vengeful assault on the blonde boy and his sensei who was still bleeding from his noise and lost in the world of his fantasies.

A few minutes later Jiraiya recovered and got to his feet, he noticed the girls had all vanished, including the ones in the swimming area. He immediately turned to Naruto but the blonde was in his own dream world as he muttered incoherently in his sleep, "They hit hard but nowhere near as hard as my Sakura-hime, believe it," he giggled while still passed out.

Pervy Sage could only sigh, "Damn masochist," the white haired man muttered but as he started to wake the blonde he suddenly shot up and looked around worriedly for a second before seeing the old man and sighing in relief. Jiraiya grinned at the boy,

"I was wrong, your a genius kid, don't worry I'll train you good," he said but Naruto only looked at him with fire in his eyes, "Look, I really don't have much time and the truth is…" Naruto explained the situation with Neji and Hinata as well as the Hyuga clan's and it's aggravating rules. The old perv suddenly cocked at smug smile,

"So your bonded with the Hyuga heiress then," Naruto could only return the man's smile, "Yeah, the sweetest moonlight, and the feistiest cherry blossom," he replied while gazing into the clear blue sky caught in some sort of daydream. Jiraiya smiled but asked curiously,

"What do you mean?" Naruto's attention snapped back to his Ero-sensei, "That doesn't matter right now, please Ero-sensei, I need to get stronger now, believe it!" he said in desperation.

* * *

A few minutes later Naruto and Jiraiya were sitting across from each other as the elder of the pair pulled up a large scroll, "This is the toad summoning contract, once you sign it you'll gain the ability to summon toads in combat just like me and your dad could," Pervy Sage explained happily. Naruto signed the scroll without hesitation and the sage quickly taught the boy the correct hand signs. Naruto went to try but the pervert stopped him,

"Wait take off your shirt and jacket first," Naruto actually turned around and scowled at him, "Why the hell would you want to see my seal, that's the only thing i can think of Pervy Sage or whoever the hell you really are!" he said in anger. Naruto didn't want anyone except Oji-san tampering with that thing, he never wanted to use the evil power he had displayed on the bridge again, not after killing Haku, not after almost killing Sasuke. Jiraiya actually lost a bit of his composure from the boy's reaction, 'Damn you Sarutobi teme sensei!' he thought in annoyance. The old pervert could only sigh as he explained,

"I just want to make sure that the seal is secure, remember I was your dad's sensei. I started him in seal work, although he eventually surpassed me," the sage reluctantly admitted. Naruto begrudgingly agreed and removed his top to reveal his stomach, quickly forming a hand sign infusing his chakra causing the fox's seal to appear. Jiraiya examined the seal closely, "Have you ever felt two chakra's inside of you?" he asked causing the blonde to frown,

"Yes there's my chakra and the nine-tails but one time I got lost in so much hate and rage that I ended up losing complete control over my body and turned into nothing more than a monster," he said in a solemn tone. "I thought I was going to kill everyone around me and I couldn't stop myself, not even calming down helped and it was so weird I met the nine-tails but he claimed he wasn't in control either. It was like there was something else there or our minds had melded together creating some kind of terrifying inhuman creature or something," the blonde shuttered reliving that fateful day. He slowly started to continue,

"But before I could hurt Sasuke, I heard Sakura-chan's voice and I was suddenly in complete control of my body again and for some odd reason the seal's on my left hand were glowing, believe it" he elaborated while scratching his head. Jiraiya looked at his god son with concern and worry as he wondered to himself,

'What the hell happened when you used the reaper death seal Minato and where did you even find the soul seal jutsu formula you just suddenly had it and forced it into law along with pushing for your clan and Kushina's to be recognized as council level clans, that really wasn't like you. What the hell is going on? What does that jutsu really do and how is affecting Naruto and the nine-tails? The seal you used to contain the beast is meant to siphon it's chakra directly into Naruto and that's what he said has been happening lately but what the hell happened on that bridge? I'll have to have a word with Kakashi and see if he noticed anything weird,' then something clicked in the old pervert's head.

"Wait your bonded with two girls!" Pervy Sage screamed out and suddenly Naruto shouted, "**Summoning Jutsu!**" and instantaneously a tadpole with a tail and two front legs appeared. Naruto looked back to his sensei with annoyance written all over his face, "Yes and you distracted me Ero-sensei, believe it, trying again," the blonde stated with conviction while weaving through hand signs.

As Naruto practiced his new jutsu with little progress Jiraiya couldn't help but think of all the scenarios he would be having if he had two girls to share his life with. 'I need to meet his girlfriends, then I can properly tease him,' Jiraiya planned, as the hours ticked on by and as the sunset approached, the blonde finally passed out from chakra exhaustion and more than likely ramen deficiency.

Jiraiya chuckled as he carried his apprentice to their tent and laid him down in his sleeping bag watching the baka hug a miniature toad while muttering, "Hinata-hime you look so cute when you wear orange, believe it," he mumbled in his sleep with a smile. The sage departed heading to the training grounds he knew Kakashi was personally training the last of the Uchiha.

Arriving around half an hour later he saw said Uchiha departing with the Yamanaka heiress a small smile actually at the corner of his lips causing Jiriaya to nod contently with the boy's slowly improving attitude but once he saw Sasuke lip the word, "Chidori," Jiraiya's sweat dropped,

'What the hell is he thinking teaching a boy like that a move that's meant for assaniation,' he thought in anger glaring at the silver haired jonin who had noticed his presence and was walking toward the sannin. Jiraiya could only sigh in aggravation remembering the initial reason he was here, "Did you notice anything odd about Naruto during your mission in the Land of Waves," he asked concern evident in his tone. Kakashi replied,

"Yes, he lost control of the nine-tails but managed to suppress the beast. Apparently it had something to do with the seals on Naruto and Sakura's hands and their affection for each other but everything else is still a mystery," he said just as puzzled at the situation. Pervy Sage scratched his chin in thought, "I see, well that mystery will reveal itself in time I guess, more importantly…" Jiraiya's expression actually turned frighnting for a moment,

"What the fuck were you thinking teaching a kid that messed up the Chidori!" he barked out but Kakashi kept his composure as he defended his protege, "You don't know a damn thing about the real Sasuke Uchiha. That jutsu was created to help and defend the people that you love and I told him that specifically. He will not betray my trust, I have faith in him and Naruto does too!" he stated sternly.

The old pervert was angry but Kakashi was right he didn't know Sasuke, he honestly didn't know Naruto too well yet either. He could only huff in annoyance, "Fine, do what you want, I have to go back to Naruto," he replied simply and slowly returned to their shared campsite worrying about the blonde baka and remembering his old rivalry with Orochimaru wondering if the two boys were going through similar trials. Once he finally made his way back he found the son of the Fourth fast asleep and Jiraiya could only smile as he got into his own sleeping bag and drifted off as well.

* * *

June 9th, 64 AFL

The next day Naruto was continuing to practice his newly acquired summoning technique making little but begrudgingly slow progress. Pervy Sage groaned in annoyance and disappointment, "You know, if you drain your chakra to absolute zero we can maybe get you access to the nine-tails chakra and then you could summon any toad no problem," he tried explaining. Naruto scowled at him,

"No way in hell, I am never using that power again, not after what I almost did to Sasuke, not after what I could have potentially done to Sakura-chan and Kakashi sensei," he replied and added a middle finger for emphasis as he returned to his training continuing to make little progress as the hours ticked on by.

Late that night a nervous girl who had just received a leaf headband was having a meeting with the Hokage. She gave him her right hand and heard him shout, "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**" Somewhere else in the leaf at the exact same time, a true leaf shinobi named Hayate Gecko gave his life for his village and his comrades dying with his will of fire still intact.

* * *

June 20th, 64 AFL

It was a warm summer day when Sakura walked into the Yamanaka flower shop and was instantly greeted by her best friend, "What's up Uzumaki-forehead," Ino said teasingly. Sakura actually smiled a bit more, "Hinata's getting out of the hospital today, I was planning on getting her some flowers and picking her up," the cherry blossom explained. Ino smiled as she picked out her own set,

"I might as well go with you and lets get something for Lee too I feel really bad for him," the platinum blonde admitted. Sakura nodded and Ino and herself picked out their choices and headed toward the hospital to meet up with their friends. On the way they walked passed the local barbecue place inadvertently meeting up with the rest of Team 10.

"Hi Asuma sensei, Choji, Shikamaru," Ino said happily causing Shikamaru to scoff, "Yeah good to see you to Ino it's a shame Asuma sensei isn't putting you through hell like he is with Choji and I," he replied. Choji kept stuffing his face and chose not acknowledge either of the girls. Ino glared at him for a moment before laughing, "Well I'll see you guys later," she said and with that Sakura and Ino returned to their previous journey.

A few minutes later Choji finished his meal and the three headed back toward the training grounds and the two boys had their own varying thoughts. 'This is such a drag, if I have any chance in hell of defeating Temari, I'll have to get impossibly stronger, so damn troublesome… or outsmart her,' Shikamaru contemplated. "If Sasuke thinks I'm strong, I know I can become as good as him and then maybe…" Choji expression shifted to one of giggles and bliss but he quickly snapped out of it and put on a look of determination as the trio entered the training grounds.

Meanwhile Sakura and Ino had finally met up with Hinata, "Hey Hinata are you feeling better? Are you ready to go?" Sakura asked her with a smile as she entered the Hyuga's princess hospital room and handed her the flowers she had picked out for her. Hinata smiled back before embracing the cherry blossom and replying,

"Yeah thank you Sakura for watching over me, you know," she said with sincerity and appreciation. Sakura released the raven haired Hyuga before Ino cut in, "You two are sweet and all but we have someone else to check on to remember forehead," she stated in a bossy tone. Hinata looked at the pair confused before Sakura elaborated,

"Lee's still here we decided we would pay him a visit as well considering…" Hinata realized at once, she had heard rumors about Lee but Sakura had definitely confirmed it, poor Lee would never be a shinobi again. Hinata almost teared up from the boy's situation but Sakura grabbed her hand before she could start, "Come on Hinata, I'm sure everything will be ok, let's just be thankful, that it wasn't, well you know," Sakura explained as she began leading her out of her room and towards Lee's.

Hinata frowned realizing what Sakura meant but looked up when she felt another hand in her free one. She saw Ino smiling at her, "Seriously Hinata smile, your starting to depress me now," the blonde teased. Hinata finally smiled feeling a bit better and the three girls slowly made their way to the bushy browed genin's room. Once they found the right room the tree proceeded inside but saw it was completely vacant,

"What the hell, where is he?" Ino said with some annoyance but also worry clear in her statement. The girl's searched his room for any clues and that's when Hinata saw him and gasped, "Sakura, Ino-san look, look!" she said in a panic as she pointed out the window. The cherry blossom and the platinum blonde quickly rushed to see what the heiress was pointing at and low and behold there was Lee doing one-handed push-ups, with a shattered arm and leg,

"What the hell does that damn baka think he's doing?!" Sakura yelled. The trio looked at eachother shock, anger, and concern written on all three of their beautiful faces before they rushed out the door to get to Lee before he could worsen his terrible condition even more. Within minutes the girls were in front of the boy, "Baka that's enough you're going to make your injuries even worse!" Sakura tried to explain loudly. "Sakura's right dumbass you're pushing yourself way too hard," Ino added but Lee suddenly scowled at the pair of them.

"You don't understand, I know I will become a great ninja, if I can just… just get to one thousand push-ups then these injuries will heal, I know it," he explained with tears threatening to escape his eyes as he looked at them with fire in his eyes. "Lee…" Sakura and Ino echoed but Hinata went right next to the injured boy as he fell to the ground in a mix of pain and exhaustion,

"Lee-kun there's nothing wrong with taking a break especially when your body need's time to heal. How do you ever expect it to become a great ninja if you don't give your body the rest it deserves," Hinata said with compassion and then gave him the biggest brightest smile she could muster. "Hinata-san…" Lee said as his tears finally escaped,

"Thank you for your kindness Hinata-san," he replied while returning her smile. Suddenly Lee went wide eyed and the four genin heard a scream, "Lee what the hell were you thinking!" Tenten wailed sprinting as fast as she could towards the boy that she was technically supposed to be watching and gave him a good bonk to head knocking him out. She quickly apologized to the rookie kunoichi while carrying Lee bridal style back to his hospital bed with the three girls just giving the couple a dumbfounded look.

* * *

It wasn't long after that, that the trio were making their way through the Leaf Village when Ino piped up, "Sorry girls but it's getting late and I have to meet Sasuke-kun at the gates in an hour so see ya two later," she informed the Uzumaki-Namikaze pair and quickly departed with a blush and smile on her face. Hinata looked to her and smiled but realized how close they were to her clan's compound and started getting visibly nervous.

Luckily Sakura and Naruto had picked up on Hinata's insecurities and any increase in anxiety any one of them would get. Sakura took Hinata's hand again and smiled, "Don't worry, I asked my parents and they said you could stay with me, at least until the finals are over, believe it!" the pinket stated happily. Hinata was in shock at Sakura's she did the only thing she could, she cried, yes she cried tears of joy at Sakura's generosity embarrassing the cherry blossom,

"It's ok Hinata we should watch out for each other, you know," Sakura said while returning her hug. The pair shared a smile before heading to Sakura's, later that night the girls had an old school sleepover and talked about Neji and what the hell Naruto-kun had been doing for the past two weeks and why he hadn't come to visit since. "I'm sure he's training hard but we should go and make sure he's actually learning something useful," Sakura said annoyance and worry clear in her tone. Hinata frowned,

"We definitely should go check on Naruto-kun and make sure he's ok," Hinata replied wondering herself as to where the blonde was. Sakura got an Uzumaki grin which caused Hinata to look at her curiously, "Well if he's not going to come back until the finals, we'll just have to find the baka ourselves and I know just where to start our search," Hinata's eyes lit up at that but then she remembered something from the preliminaries,

"Sakura what's going on with Sasuke and Ino, I saw that his chakra was tainted... or something and it was originating from around his neck," Hinata asked with pleading eyes. Sakura frowned again but decided to just be honest and explained everything that she knew about the Uchihas and about what had happened in the forest of death. Hinata actually almost cried from the pain that the couple was going through but Sakura brought her into a tight hug before she could,

"Don't worry Hinata there so strong, I'm sure they'll figure everything out, let's just work on finding Naruto-kun for now," she said and then laid down on the futon she had prepared next to her bed. Hinata rolled over in Sakura's pink comforter and coughed into her hand noticing some blood but chose to ignore it and drifted off to sleep, worried about the state of all of her friends but happy Sakura was there to help her get through it.

Meanwhile Ino was leading Sasuke to a special spot she had prepared just for him, "Ino I can tell where we're going, I know where my own compound is," he replied flatly as he dropped his hand from hers but continued to follow nonetheless. "I know Sasuke-kun, trust me I know you don't want to go back there yet, the spot I have planned is just on the outskirts now come on," she said enthusiastically.

Sasuke only nodded but followed her until she came to a treeline and turned to him, "Close your eyes," she said sweetly. Sasuke said nothing but complied and let Ino guide him to wherever they were going. They soon came to a stop and that's when he heard the blonde say, "Open them," he responded quickly and was soon almost brought to tears.

Around him was the most beautiful garden he had ever scene scattered with the roses that he knew all too well along with several other gorgeous wildflowers. In the center of the garden was a large stone that had the Uchiha symbol displayed proudly on the center with a much smaller Yamanaka symbol and Uzumaki symbol underneath it.

Sasuke didn't have control of his brain or his body as he spun around and kissed her cheek instinctively causing her to blush a red brighter than the roses. He looked at her with tears and could only ask, "Why?" Ino smiled and grabbed his hand, Sasuke letting his fingers interlocking with hers as she lead him to the stone. She pointed out an inscription beneath the symbols as Sasuke read he gasped,

**Dedicated to Karin Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha wherever you two are just know you will always be in my heart and happy birthday Karin, love and affection always,  
Ino Yamanaka Uchiha**. Sasuke couldn't help but look up at her and smile, "You remembered Karin's birthday I don't even remember telling you that," Sasuke teased extremely out of character.

Ino leaned her head into his chest and Sasuke actually put his arms around her, "Well you did dummy," she teased back with a smile. The pair sat like that for hours before falling asleep in each others arms. Meanwhile a blonde on the outskirts of the Leaf Village was getting ready for bed while his new toad friend Gamikichi poofed back home to Mt. Myoboku waving goodbye.

* * *

June 25th, 64 AFL

It was a few days later when Pervy Sage and Naruto-baka were sitting in the hot springs together sharing some quality male bonding time. That is until the old man brought up a touchy subject, "You know, we'd make a lot more progress if you would at least try using the nine-tails chakra," he tried explaining again but this resulted in the usual scowl he would get from the blonde. Naruto's scowl was ended when he sighed and tried telling his sensei again,

"Look Ero-sensei, I almost killed my best friend, I almost became the very thing that the village rejects me for. The truth is I'm scared who I'll hurt if I use that power and besides…" Jiraiya asked him to elaborate further, "Besides?" Naruto suddenly grinned that classic Naruto smile, "Besides I want to do it my own way using my own power and chakra," he stated happily.

"Damn right Naruto-kun, cha!" "Exactly Naruto-kun you know we believe in you," Naruto turned around and to his surprise he saw his two loves standing on top of the gate to the male side of the hot springs. Naruto looked down and dove into the water before bobbing his head out,

"Sakura-hime, Hinata-hime get down from there and stop peeking on me," the blonde wailed out in embarrassment causing the two girls to break down in a fit of giggles as they descended to the outside of the spring and headed inside the normal way. Jiraiya laughed his ass off and the blonde's scowl began again, "What the hell is so funny Pervy Sage?!" Naruto asked angrily.

Jiraiya laughing died down slowly, "It's nothing kiddo, I just find your vixens funny," he teased causing Naruto to smirk, "Yeah they can be quite the duo," Naruto said fondly. "I bet you'll find out just how much when you're older," Jiraiya said while giggling. Naruto looked at him in confusion but brushed it off as he grabbed his towel and exited the hot springs to meet up with the two kunoichi he loved so very much.

Once dressed and outside the two quickly embraced their blonde haired baka while smiling at him, "That was quite the speech Naruto-kun," Sakura said honestly. "Yeah Naruto-kun, I'm so proud of you wanting to use your power," Hinata said happily. "Hinata's right we know you can do it whatever you're doing that is," Sakura stated while rubbing the back of her head. Naruto just smiled and took their hands, "Come on, I'll show you," he said simply and with that the trio where on there way to Naruto's training ground Jiraiya following close behind while smirking at his godson and his two soulmates.

Eventually the trio made their way to the spot and Naruto told the girls to stand back while he began infusing his chakra, 'Hinata-hime, Sakura-hime you both believe in me so much, I swear I won't let you down, that's a promise believe it!' the boy thought and unbeknownst to him a fox could only smirk, "**Summoning Jutsu!**" he screamed and suddenly a large poof of smoke was seen.

Hinata and Sakura began shrieking in fright as they were grabbed by Jiraiya and pulled to safety while the chief of all toads appeared with the naive twelve year old blonde sitting upon his head. Sakura was kicking and screaming like a cat trying to escape her owners clutches while Hinata could only look on in shock at the massive sized creature that had appeared in front of them, "What… What is that thing?" she asked the man holding her.

Pervy Sage came to a landing a safe distance away as he replied, "Don't worry he won't seriously hurt Naru…" he was suddenly silenced by a painful feeling coming from his groan as he looked down to see a very pissed off cherry blossom with her foot lodged into his crotch. She reared again and gave him another good kick as she elaborated,

"Only Naru-kun touches me that way you pervert and now I'm going to teach you a lesson for putting us through all this crap," she said while cracking her knuckles. The sannin actually looked up at her in fear for a moment before the pinkett's image was replaced by a busty blonde with big breasts mirroring the same action, 'Hey, this girls like an exact clone of Tsunade, I wonder… hehe,' the sage's fantasy was interrupted by the memory of said blonde almost killing him for peeking on her in their youth causing him to sigh, not really feeling Sakura's assault at the moment.

He looked up to the girl who was wailing him, "Yeah and that's definitely how she'd react if I just used the jutsu without telling her and besides I don't want sensei knowing I'm here," the sage then looked to the blonde and Gammabunta who was trying his hardest to send said boy flying from his head. 'Kinda a moot point now though,' he groaned as he got to his feet not even noticing the Hyuga princess trying to nurse the painting Sakura who had expelled all of her chakra trying to kill the sannin.

He looked to the two girls who were wearing different expressions, one of anger and one of fear and concern, "Like I said, Gamabunta would never hurt him, just trust him, this is part of Naruto's training too," he said simply. Both girls eventually nodded and returned their attention back to the incredible display playing out in front of them.

A few minutes before Sakura's assault Naruto was personally meeting the chief of all toads Gamabunta, "Huh, where am I? Jiraiya where are you, you bastard!" the humongous toad said aloud. Naruto moved in front of the amphibian so that he could see him as he waved cheerfully, "Um actually I summoned you my names Naruto, believe it!" he grinned proud and satisfied with himself but something at the back of his mind was gnawing at him. He chose to ignore it as he stared determitly at his new friend.

The giant began laughing uncontrollably, "Yeah right brat, I can sense your chakra, you're nowhere near strong enough yet," he replied, "Now where is that ugly old pervert?" he asked again. Naruto frowned, "I really did summon you I'm an Uzumaki and I have the nine-tails sealed inside of me, I should have more than enough to handle you," he stated with conviction. Gamabunta stopped laughing and actually looked at the boy for the first time, 'That hair, could he be?' the toad wondered and then chuckled again, "What?" Naruto questioned borderline annoyed at this point.

The toad looked at him and decided to strike a deal, "Alright brat tell you what if you can stay on my head and back for the rest of the day I'll make you my henchmen," he stated, causing the blonde to sigh, 'Not exactly what I was going for but it works I guess,' the blonde thought and then replied with a smirk, "Deal!" With that the chief took off at a destructive pace doing everything within his power to throw the blonde off of his back.

This continued for several hours but whatever Gambunta tried the son of the Fourth refused to give up. While the hours ticked on by a Sand kunochi was lost in her own world of mixed thoughts and feelings, 'Damn why does it have to be this way, fucking drag, damit, I wouldn't even care if it wasn't for that Nara brat maybe if I kill him these damn fellings will go away,' she thought in desperation, "And oh Kami Gaara I hope that thing doesn't take control of you, I can't lose you or Kankuro you troublesome brothers of mine," she worried as she sunk her head into her pillow trying to pull together her resolve for the finals.

As the sun began setting a blue haired jinchuuriki and boy dressed in an oversized coat watched the colors meld together in the sky and then actually shared a laugh as they saw their blonde friend in the distance wailing around on some giant creature. Fu caught Shino's smile and laughter and before he could say a word she pecked his lips giggled and then motioned for her to chase him. Shino smiled again a blush adorning his cheeks from his first kiss and joined Fu in the fun with the day's light finally vanishing just a few minutes later.

Naruto seeing the day's last light disappear beyond the horizon he resigned himself to his fate and finally allowed himself to fall into a state of unconsciousness utterly exhausted from the toad's brutal challenge. Before Naruto could come crashing to the ground however the chief toad showed the blonde mercy by catching him with his gargantuan tongue,

"This kid, I haven't seen someone with this much potential since…" the amphibians's thoughts were cut short once he heard two girls scream, "Naruto-kun!" in moments Sakura, Hinata, and Jiraiya were standing in front of the mighty chief. The chief began laughing as he tossed the blonde over to the trio Sakura catching him and beginning to treat his wounds while she scowled at the giant toad. "He passed if any of you are wondering, by the way," the massive amphibian stated honestly forcing a smile on the group of people in front of him, "He has a lot of potential, oh and Jiraiya,"

"Yes?" the toad sanin asked with a little fear running down his spine. "Don't ever summon me without a good damn reason again!" he barked out and suddenly the giant toad disappeared in a huge puff of smoke. The girls turned to the elderly mad but somehow, he had vanished from their sight as well,

"Come on Sakura screw the pervert we have to get Naruto-kun to the hospital," Hinata explained with a frown as she looked on at Naruto's many scratches and bruises. "Your right Hinata come on let's go," she replied as she picked up her baka and carried him gently all the way back to the Leaf's hospital with the Hyuga heiress following closely behind.

* * *

June 28th, 64 AFL

The blonde finally recovered from his injuries and opened his eyes to find one of his oldest friends watching over him, "Hey what's up," Shikamaru said to the blue eyed genin. Naruto rubbed his eyes for a few moments while sitting up, "Hey Shikamaru what's up, how long have I been here?" he questioned his comrade. The Nara snickered,

"You were admitted the night of the 25th and it's currently the 28th, very early in the morning if you have to know you troublesome bastard. Anyway the nurses said you can go once you wake up so get that stupid orange jumpsuit on, Sakura and Hinata are waiting for you outside," the boy explained and then quietly left the room. As Naruto got dressed he realized something that had been pissing him off in the back of his head,

'There's no way I just go from summoning Gamikichi to that big ass toad boss with just Hinata and Sakura watching me. That's means the damn fox slipped me chakra but why damn it!' he wondered in anger. Naruto finished getting dressed and walked out the door and was greeted by two warm smiles and hugs from the cherry blossom and the Hyuga princess that he adored. "I'm going to go check on Lee again real quick and then I'll meet you guys in Choji's room," Sakura said and with that the pinkett kissed Naruto's cheek and skipped away happily.

Naruto was in a daze for a moment but then turned to Shikamaru realizing, "Wait, what happened to Choji?" Naruto asked in concern. Hinata started giggling while the Nara started chuckling, "Nothing, damn fool just ate too much," Naruto looked at the pair dumbfounded before bursting out in laughter himself. The trio began their approach to their friends room while the kind hearted kunochi made her way to Lee's in order to drop off the flowers she had forgotten to leave the week prior.

As the girl did though she'd failed to notice a dark shadow textured like sand slowly encroaching behind her. Sakura finally made her way to the bushy browed genin's room but as she put the flowers in a vase she suddenly sensed something behind her and didn't even have the courage to let out a scream.

A few minutes prior the trio of Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru had run into the Uchiha couple, "Hey Sasuke-teme, Ino," Naruto said with a grin. Sasuke snickered, "Dobe," was all he said as Ino simply replied with a wave, the group of genin opened the door to Choji's room but as they did Naruto felt a deep fear and panic run through his entire core and rushed down the hall faster than Sasuke had ever seen him.

Sasuke and the other genin rushed after the blonde but Naruto was godly fast making it to the room in less than a minute and what he saw turned his stomach. Gaara had Sakura pinned against the wall, she was unconscious but the bastard was slowly crushing her with his sand while suffocating Lee at the same time, placing vast amounts of the substance over the boys mouth and nose.

Naruto's anger immediately soared and the boy unintentionally released a decent amount of nine-tails chakra but it was a good thing because it was enough for Gaara to lose his concentration, releasing his sand as well as his deadly grip on his prisoners. Sakura collapsed to the ground with a loud thud as Lee began coughing up vast amounts of the substance. Naruto scowled at him but suddenly realized he wasn't alone, seeing Fu standing to his left,

"What the fuck are you doing you crazy bastard!" the girl yelled out. Gaara's expression remained emotionless as he responded, "So I was right, your demons are as real as mine is, I can only assume our childhoods must have been very similar. You see in order to ensure I became the village's strongest and most lethal weapon I was taught that I was born a monster, taking the life of the woman who gave birth to me," he said emotionlessly causing Naruto and Fu started to shudder but stood their ground.

"So what are their name's mine is Shukaku, Shukaku the Sand Spirit," Naruto looked at the pair with confusion written all over his face but Fu's gaze never left Gaara as she replied sternly, "Chomei the Spirit of Insects," A million questions were going through the blonde's mind, both of these genin had demons sealed inside of them, just like he did, 'Are they the same as me?' he wondered but before he could inquire the Sand genin started again,

"The only bonds I have are the ones I currently want to break, I was brought into being to be the salvation of my village neglected by my father the Kazekage and left isolated by myself for the longest time and for a while I thought that was love but then I learned the truth," he explained. "What truth you freak!" Fu yelled, "Yeah what the hell are you saying? Are you going to tell us or not," Naruto added. Gaara's face turned into one of sadistic glee,

"From the time I was six years old my own father has tried to have me killed more times than I can count," he explained. "You see the sealing of Shukaku displaced something in my mind and even my own village began to fear and hate me for what I was, so in order to appease the masses my father constantly orders my own assassination. That was the day I realized I had failed in the sole purpose of my own creation and wondered what was left for me but then I found my purpose," he explained.

Naruto and Fu were borderline shaking from the boy's blood lust while giving each other looks trying to get some sort of confirmation from the other that their childhoods mirrored Gaara's as well but before they could speak the son of the Kazekage continued, "To put it simply the reason for my existence is to take the lives of others, I've killed so many already and in doing so I live only for myself, caring only for myself, loving only myself. Now the deaths of others are the only things in this world that can make feel alive and the best part is there's no end in sight. As long as there are people in this world, there will always be more victims," he elaborated grinning sadistically again.

Naruto and Fu turned around quickly and saw the rest of the rookie ten plow through the door but as they turned around to face the Sand nin again he had somehow disappeared. Naruto immediately rushed to the pinkette's side, she coughed up a little and was still out cold but for the most part she was fine,

'Kami damn it I failed again,' the blonde thought in pain and anger, "I'm so sorry  
Sakura-hime," he apologized to her but eventually his look of depression shifted to one of determination. Sasuke walked up to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder but Naruto just bolted up and ran out of the hospital full sprint, where he went no one knew.

* * *

July 6th, 64 AFL

It was finally the day of the finals but a certain heiress was looking down the road out of the village with concern. This was soon replaced by relief and happiness as her true love Naruto Uzumaki finally came into view, walking slowly toward the gates, with fire in his eyes that was soon replaced with a look of utter love and devotion as he saw his sweet moonlight waiting for him. The boy finally came up to her and inquired,

"Were you really waiting for me? You didn't have too Hinata-chan." The girl could only blush and with that they shared a short kiss before taking his hand and leading him toward the arena, "I know but we both wanted too however Sakura said this was about you and me and wanted us to have a little alone time before your match," Hinata replied. Naruto's smile deepened even more his own blush shining brightly,

"I promise Hinata-hime, I'm going to win, believe it!" he said with determination. Hinata giggled again and coughed into her hand but when the blonde looked at her with concern she simply brushed it off. Naruto was worried but figured she might of gotten a cold or something, "Make sure to take some medicine ok Hinata-hime that cough sounds really bad," she smiled brightly at him, "I will thank you Naru-kun," she said affectionately trying to waver off his concerns.

Naruto simply nodded and the pair continued to laugh and joke until they walked past Naruto's favorite ramen stand and heard an all too familiar voice, "Thank you Ayame-san, I'll give to him right now," Sakrua said to the stand owner's daughter. Naruto and Hinata turned their heads to see a cherry blossom holding an extra large bento box standing alongside a platinum blonde. Naruto gave the pair a warm smile but as he smelled the box's scent he couldn't stop himself from letting out a little drool.

He quickly wiped his face clean with his sleeve and gave Sakura a hug, "Is this for me?" he asked her. Sakura blushed and kissed his cheek, "Yes my baka, it has all your favorites and it's nice, hot and ready for you too," Naruto opened up the bento box and saw several ramen container's with varying flavors to choose from as well as other side dishes that looked absolutely delectable. "Thank you Sakura-hime but why?" he asked her a bit confused but still delighted nonetheless. Sakura smiled warmly at him,

"You trained really hard for this, on top of that you saved me last week from Gaara and yes I know, Sasuke and Hinata told me after I woke up," Sakura sighed a bit before finishing, "And then you went as far as to deprive yourself of ramen for an entire month because I exploded at you during my match, you know I wasn't serious right," she looked into the boy's eyes fondly,

"But it didn't matter to you, you always listen to what I have to say and are always there for me when I really need you. Basically what I'm trying to say is…" Sakura got as close to the blonde as she could before looking directly into his eyes and saying, "Thank you," with that she quickly pecked his lips and then backed away giggling at her baka's funny red face.

Ino smiled at the trio, "Well are we going to stand here all day our are we going to get a move on," the bossy blonde dressed head to toe in purple explained. The Uzumaki-Namikaze trio shared a short embrace before Naruto took both kunoichi's hands and the group continued their journey to the Leaf's massive stadium.

Once there Sakura and Ino said their goodbyes heading towards the stands while Naruto and Hinata had a final word with each other, "Naruto-kun," Hinata started but Naruto silenced her with his lips putting her in a state of shock as well as bliss. Hinata came to her senses a few minutes later blinking a few times seeing the blonde boy gazing at her with love and admiration, "Hinata, don't worry, like I said before. I'm going to win, believe it!" Hinata could only look at him fondly,

"Ok, I believe in you Naru-kun," she replied and pecked his lips once again for emphasis before skipping off herself in order to find her pink haired counterpart so she could watch the finals with her and Ino-san. Naruto looked at her until she disappeared behind a corner and he walked into the stadium, the will of fire burning within him.

* * *

**AN: This one took a bit but finished it and pretty happy with it too, definitely like chapters where I can just have the characters sit and talk besides fighting just easier to write for me personally and yes I will be using both Pervy Sage and Ero-sensei because I honestly don't care sorry if it is aggravating**

**Retold the hospital scene, Ebsiu, and meeting Jiraiya for that reason just to add more character and detail and I sincerely apologize if that annoyed you but oh well** **already done**

**Yup Naruto does not want to use the fox's power at all really would you after almost killing your best friend seriously, which is the only reason why he may seem a bit ruder to Pervy Sage when he brings that stuff up**

**From what I could see Pervy Sage and little to no communication with Lord 3rd and only Ebisu and Kakashi even knew he was in the village so that is what I went with**

**Pervy Sage found out about Sasuke's chidori training early and got pissed figured we needed a little drama lol so had Kakashi and him argue about it and yes the sannin does know a little bit about both boys before meeting them, he hasn't actually met Sasuke though**

**Sakura still visits the hospital in this timeline but instead it's for Hinata who isn't afraid to show her gratitude constantly, she actually visited Hinata a lot. Always intended for both Hinata and Sakura to be close and take care of each other but they will never be for a lack of a better term romantic with eac other in this story. The same will apply to Ino and Karin when the time comes but it will still be a little while before they meet. There will never be any hurt feelings or drama like that. It's not necessary with the plot already in the background and I honestly would hate having to write them fighting because they are jealous of the other for whatever reason**

**Yup Ino's garden for Sasuke and Karin was a stolen idea from Sakura's head, literally but this one is real and that was the first kiss Sasuke gave Ino considering the mood he was in with learning the Chidori which all jokes aside is an incredible jutsu and with this added bonus it felt it was time and it was only on the cheek. Damn Sasuke's hard to right for and make him feel like he's capable of expressing himself like that**

**Really sorry not an expert in pervy jokes but I tried my best with the humor and Sakura trying to kill Jiraiya for saving her but mostly for having Naruto fight the toad was funny to me and so was Jiraiya's day dreams about Tsunade and how she would react if it turned out they were meant to be. I know Naruto is not a masochist it was a joke, a joke damn it, **

**Shortened chief toad's conversation and he actually summoned him a bit earlier if any of you noticed because of Sakura and Hinata inspiring him but yes it was mostly the nine-tails giving him the extra push. Kurama is not evil but still an asshole that will totally kill Naruto to get free but he respects the kit once in a while so screw it got nothing else to do maybe seeing the brat get flung around for several hours will be funny. **

**No Naruto will not be making peace with the fox anytime soon although he may learn his true name a bit quicker and yes Fu knows about as much as Gaara does about her tailed beast sorry if you don't like the title I gave chomei if there is an official one I couldn't find it and researching was little help as well unless I made it kinda complex and I wanted it to be short and simple like Shukaku's title**

**Yeah Minato did some sketchy stuff before he died and only he knows all those secrets. I honestly wasn't sure if the Uzumaki clan was considered a major clan already but decided that for this story at least he brought both clans to council level and the reasons are unknown but both seats are obviously currently vacant. **

**Kami if it's not Hinata getting attacked it's Sakura he should just have clone stationed with them at all times but he got there before Gaara could injure her in the slightest and yeah Hinata is still coughing up blood from her injuries but she's not sick don't want to worry you guys to much. Why was Sasuke was there? Pervy Sage and Kakashi were having a meeting and he told him to piss off today so he spent it with Ino. Yeah somehow Shikamaru got turned into Gandalf but I don't care enough to rewrite, it's at a cringe reference level that I find worthy. **

**Thank You and I hope you enjoyed hopefully the finals sometime within the next two weeks but I honestly don't know if it will end up being one long ass chapter or two and I won't until I write everything from the start of the finals to the end of the battle with Naruto and Gaara so that I can ensure the conclusion to this ark ends smoothly and I have decided to continue this book until the very end of part 1 of Naruto because honestly I had no idea where we would be chapter and word count wise back then but I think I have a good enough idea now and can say with confidence that this will cover the entirety of Part 1 with the second book being named Naruto Shippuden and the Soul Seal Jutsu or something along those lines, Thank you all and I really do hope you all enjoyed! **


	14. The Final Rounds

**Chapter 14: The Final Rounds**

* * *

July 6th, 64 AFL

Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze walked into the arena, his eyes blinded by the sudden increase in light, blinking a few times he spotted the other competitors taking note of a missing Uchiha. The blonde made his way over toward his Nara comrade and struck up a small conversation,

"Shikamaru, what's up you lazy bastard, I can't believe you even showed," Naruto said with a foxy grin causing Shikamaru to snicker, "Yeah it's a drag but I'm here," he admitted. Naruto continued to smile as he asked, "You haven't seen Sasuke-teme have you?"

Shikamaru gazed at the blonde with a look that said shouldn't you know he's your teammate but before he could respond their proctor silenced both boys, "Shut up you brats, stand tall and present yourselves proudly, your representing our village after all," he told the two Leaf genin.

The proctor then turned to face the many spectators which included the Hokage and Kazekage as well as the many citizens of the Leaf who had come to witness the best of their genin in action, "Alright these are the finals, we will begin with the first match, Shino Aburame vs. Fu!"

The remaining genin headed toward the competitors boxes which were situated at the lowest level of the stands. Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru went to one and the Sand trio to the other while the two competitors in the ring stared the other down. Shikamaru started chuckling a little and that was enough for Naruto to inquire, "What's so funny?" Shikamaru stopped,

"Well Fu just has a smile on while Shino looks all serious. I'm just wondering what's going through their heads?" the Nara elaborated causing Naruto to nod in agreement as the match finally got started. It was true that Shino was looking at the blue haired jinchuuriki with a determined expression but it wasn't for the reason most people thought.

Shino knew how Fu had been treated by the Waterfall Village and was deathly afraid for her, 'If I don't end this quickly, Fu-chan's condition may be exposed and I can't let that happen, why because then the Leaf may hate her as well and on top of that…' Shino turned his gaze toward Gaara before returning it to his opponent,

'I can not allow her to battle that monster and it's because of those reasons that I will defeat you Fu-chan.' Meanwhile the orange eyed, blue haired girl had her own concerns about this match, 'I hate that I'm going to have to crush you Shino-kun but I'm probably the only one who can stop that freak,' the girl thought while quickly looking at Gaara and then back to Shino, 'Shino-kun, I'm so sorry your insects don't work against me, believe me I know how the village looks down on you as well as the Aburame clan in general.

You may not know but when I got my new headband and had my seals placed I saw your memories. I know what you've been through Shino-kun, it's almost ironic how similar our situations are,' Fu continued to smile as she got ready for combat, 'And someday I'm going to help you prove that the Aburame clan is more than just a few creeps with creepers running through our bodies, that's a promise Shino-kun but for now…' the girl looked into the boy's as she stated with confidence,

"I have to win!" she announced with pride and determination. Shino said nothing and the proctor quickly began explaining the rules, "The rules are the same as the preliminaries, fight until one of you is unable to continue, dies, or forfeits, you may now begin!"

* * *

**Shino Aburame vs. Fu**

Both genin stared at the other but then Fu's smile faded a bit, "Shino-kun, your insects won't attack me will they? You know, because of Chomei?" she half asked half stated sympathetically. Shino responded by sending a devastating horde toward the girl which made Fu go wide eyed for a second but as she tried jumping to safety, it was to no avail as Shino's insects took to the air in pursuit, engulfing the poor genin and giving her numerous bite marks and cuts from the little aggressors.

When Fu fell hard to the ground Shino called off his attack, "Fu-chan, I'm sorry but you and that idiot Mishito were wrong. You see my insects didn't attack you for another simple reason. They recognized you as my spouse and they would never attack that person with the intent to kill," the boy in shades explained calmly. Fu got to her feet as she cried out angrily,

"Then what the hell was that crap?" she asked confused and irritated at the moment. Shino just looked at the girl with an unreadable expression, "They will however attack you full force if they think you winning will put you into even greater peril, now Fu-chan this match is mine." the boy replied charging her full force with his insects once again but Fu responded with a silky counter,

"**Blue Joro Spider Jutsu!**" she screamed and just as suddenly roughly half of Shino's horde were trapped in the webbing that had been expunged from Fu's mouth. The rest of Shino's insects tried to get Fu but she began slicing with them using her kunai, unfortunately too little benefit. She finally got so aggravated she chucked the sharp object at Shino but he was able to easily block it using his bugs.

"Fu-chan your a close distance fighter, you'll never be able to reach me and you have no chance against someone who has this much of an advantage over you," Shino explained as he continued to send the remainder of his insects at the poor defenseless girl who was failing to come up with anything useful and realized there was only one hope in hell of defeating her buggy boyfriend,

'I really hope Shino-kun isn't too angry,' the girl thought as she closed her eyes and stopped moving altogether, allowing the merciless insects to continue their assault unchallenged, confusing Shino and everyone else in the arena. "What is she doing? She's just letting herself get attacked?" Shikamaru wondered aloud, "I think, I know," Naruto replied as he rubbed his stomach an unreadable expression on the Uzumaki's face. The Nara gave the blonde a sideways glance but chose not to reply,

'You'll tell me when you ready Naruto, I'm sure,' he thought when suddenly a huge eruption of chakra gained his full attention. Both boys looked on in shock but Naruto's jaw was stuck wide open he was so stunned, 'How is she controlling her tailed beast like that, I didn't think it was possible but if she could do it maybe I don't have to be so afraid after all,' he thought.

Meanwhile Fu was standing proudly in the center of the arena, surrounded by a dense orange cloak with one tail protruding from it, her eyes where slitted but that classic Fu smile never left her face, Naruto realized immediately, she had complete control at least with only one tails worth of demon chakra.

Shino's insects were quickly melted away from the girl's and the seven-tails combined chakra all of them passing from this life like she was a human sized bug zapper. The rest of the stadium where stunned as well but most of the village had only heard of the nine-tails and believed it to be the only demon causing the majority of the crowd to cheer thinking this was some sort of odd bloodline trait but the Hokage and Kazekage, as well as most of the shinobi in the arena knew the truth,

'How has she mastered the seven-tails chakra to such an extent, could it be possible with Naruto too?' the old man with the white beard in the stands wondered. Meanwhile Shino's expressions shifted from one of rage for Fu revealing her secret and the possible persecution she would face from the rest of the village to a soft smile as he read the crowds reactions,

"Let's finish this Fu-chan!" Shino said knowing he was now more than screwed and with that he launched his largest possible wave of bugs toward the jinchuuriki. Fu smirked, "Yeah let's Shino-kun,' she replied happily. Shino's bugs tried to catch the girl but her new speed made her faster than his insects and the ones that did get close were instantly fried by the girl's overwhelming chakra.

Shino knew he was finished and resigned himself to throwing a kunai when she got too close, but she was able to deflect it easily, landing a hard right to her soulmate's face breaking his shades and sending him to the floor in a state of unconsciousness, "Winner Fu!" the proctor announced and with that Fu picked up her buggy boyfriend, spoiling him with soft kisses to his cheeks and quiet apologies, immediately running off to the infirmary, carrying the boy she had defeated in her arms.

While the Aburame pair made their way to get Shino checked out the proctor revealed the next match, "Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari!" he said loudly. "Good luck Shikamaru," Naruto said but Shikamaru was stuck in deep thought remembering the day that he had first seen the terrifying beauty from the sand.

He remembered seeing her childhood, she had been pampered to an extent by her father molding her into the perfect kunoichi but deep down the Nara heir knew there was so much more to her than just that. That day, those few months ago, he saw the girl who cried tears every night that her little brother had been made into a human sacrifice and was slowly being consumed by the demon residing within his body.

The girl who was always kind to others when she wanted to be or the girl who could be as ferocious and witty as a lioness, he knew that the girl standing before him currently was not that girl. At the same time the Sand nin was having her own worries and doubts with a little anger mixed in,

'Damn that lazy brat, having some orb chase me down halfway across Suna, running through food stands and other shops trying to get away from that ugly brown thing. Not even my wind jutsu helped, that's actually what fucked me because it made me stop running, damn him, that was such a drag but regardless I have no choice.

I… I just have to kill him, then I won't feel this way anymore and maybe these troublesome ticks will stop.' she thought as she entered the arena and faced down her apparent soulmate, 'Besides I can't… I can't let him know what we're about to do to his home, it's better this way, he'll suffer far less in the end,' Temari finalized as she got ready for combat and the proctor suddenly said, "Begin!"

* * *

**Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari**

Shikamaru braced himself for the wind jutsu Temari had used on Tenten during the preliminaries but was shocked when she pulled a kunai and engaged him in close combat. The Nara quickly realized she was going for the kill as quickly possible and making many errors in judgement but unfortunately she was still preventing him from making any hand signs, having to use his own kunai to deflect her attacks.

When Temari went for Shikamaru's throat he was able to dodge and hit her with a kick to the midsection sending her back a few feet, the Nara snickered, "What's wrong Temari, I thought you were better than this, what a drag," he said like he didn't care at all. Temari's anger rose, "Fine, I was trying to be nice giving you a quick death but If your going to act like that, I'll just torture you instead," she screeched finally pulling out her fan and using her signature jutsu,

"**Wind Scythe Jutsu!**" she shouted and just as quickly a strong blast of wind sent the young man flying off into side of the wall but like Naruto in the preliminary round he landed on his feet standing perfectly parallel to its side. He immediately began throwing kunai and shuriken around the arena at an incredible pace but he wasn't aiming for his opponent, instead he kept throwing them to all corners of the arena,

"Are you fucking with me you lazy brat, **Wind Scythe Jutsu!**" she screamed sending Shikamaru flying and dislodging some of his weapons from the wall but Shikamaru just kept on chucking as he was thrown around in the air eventually landing on his feet again, Temari reared her fan again but Shikamaru was faster, "**Shadow Possession Jutsu!**" he shouted.

Temari was frozen in place as she screamed out in anger, tears manifesting at the corners of her eyes, "Kami damn it, how?" Shikamaru didn't respond at first as he looked at her trying to understand her distress, "What wrong Temari, why are acting like this?" "Fuck you, you don't know a fucking thing about me, why don't you just die already!" she said finally letting her tears flow causing the pony tailed genin to sigh as he used his clan's signature jutsu to force Temari closer to him,

"I don't know what's going on with you Temari-chan," Shikamaru started causing the girl to glare from the added use of honorific but the Nara's face never faltered, "I truly would do anything within my power to help you even if its a total drag," Temari scowl was breaking slowly as her tears continued to flow still completely immobile from her soulmate's jutsu. Shikamaru then gave the girl a rare warm smile,

"But if you really want me to die, we can die together," he said solemnly, "What are you…?" Shikamaru slowly pulled out his last kunai forcing Temari to draw her weapon as well, "If you're wondering how I caught you, you should see all the small shadows that my kunai are casting. You see I tied a fine wire to some of my weapons, as long as there are shadows, no matter how small, I can easily catch you. I know you know what this jutsu does from my memories so I assume you also know everything you feel I feel," he elaborated calmly.

"So like I said before if you really want me dead, then we can die together," Temari could do nothing as her body mirrored Shikamaru's as they slowly inched the sharp deadly weapons to their throats, "What the fuck are you thinking, do really want to die you dumb ass!" the kunoichi screeched her tears continuing to fall, "Of course not but if this is the only way I can get through you to you then I will gladly give my life," Shikamaru went to slice his jugular killing the both of them but was stopped when the kunoichi announced dramatically,

"I forfeit, I forfeit, I forfeit!" she screamed and repeated over and over again. Shikamaru released his jutsu at once but when he tried to approach the broken girl she only fled back to her box still crying her eyes out from a mix of varying emotions. Shikamaru sighed, "Damn, I had to get the most troublesome women in the five great nations, didn't I," he said quietly so no one would hear, "Winner Shikamaru Nara," the proctor announced and with that the boy went back to his box to prepare for his next match against Fu. As the Nara heir walked back he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder,

"Don't worry Shika, I'm sure she'll come around eventually and that was impressive, I thought you were really serious out there," the blonde grinned as he proceeded to the center of the arena. Shikamaru sighed as he got to his seat and mumbled under his breath, "I was you damn idiot." The Nara heir suddenly smiled as he looked at his old friend getting ready for his toughest fight so far,

"Good luck, Naruto," was all he said. Neji and Naruto were walking side by side scowling at each other as they made their way to the center of the arena, "Alright, Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga, you may begin!" The two boys looked at each other with disdain as they got ready for a battle at least a month in the making.

* * *

**Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga**

The boys said nothing as they got started, Neji attacking first trying to block the baka's chakra points as quickly as possible but Naruto backed away quickly avoiding the initial assault, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he roared creating at least a hundred clones that Naruto sent after the Hyuga,

"You're still using that pathetic trick, allow me to show you how out matched you truly are you failure!" Neji spun around quickly creating a spiraling absolute defense destroying the clones one by one as they continued their vicious assault, "I told you Uzumaki, now you're mine!" Neji screamed as he pursued the blonde not giving him any time to make anymore clones,

"**Eight Trigrams - Sixteen Palms, Thirty-two Palms, Sixty-four Palms!**" he shouted inflicting blow after brutal blow on Naruto's chakra points blocking off his power and screwing over his control while forcing him to the ground, "Hokage, Hokage, Hokage, that's all you ever talk about but your such a joke, a clanless dog and the bastard child of a Hokage's whore!" Naruto's anger rose to new levels as he slowly got to his feet,

"Everyone has their place for them filled out a birth, their soulmate, their future, their lives, and their deaths. All is determined before we are even born, the future is unchangeable and the weak will always be weak just like you and the Namikaze bitch," he said with venom and malice.

"Shut the fuck up you prick, I'm so sick and tired of your destiny crap, believe it! **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" the blonde shouted sending in another half a dozen clones but they proved worthless as Neji struck them down one by one, "Do you really think that you're going to become Hokage just because it's your dream? The Hokage were born to be Hokage, it was their destiny to achieve that level. You don't just become it by proclaiming it, now I'll show you how much of a failure you truly are!"

Neji started his assault on his enemy again and the only thing Naruto could do for now was dodge his attacks and try to come up with a new strategy, 'Super crap, I let the bastard block my chakra, what the hell am I going to do?' he thought in a panic.

Meanwhile Hinata was having mixed emotions from this battle between two people she truly cared for, she only wanted Neji to see the light but this was getting bad, "Please tell me Sakura, there not really trying to kill each other are they?" Sakura looked at her counterpart before turning back to the fight, "No there not that serious but this isn't looking good for our baka, believe it," she said watching contently waiting for any sudden change in the battle.

Her attention was eventually disturbed by the sound of Hinata breaking down unto a coughing fit, "Hinata, Hinata what's wrong?" Sakura said in worry as she saw the blood on Hinata's hands and that's when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, "I'm a medical anbu let me help her," the masked man said.

Sakura nodded and followed the man who was now carrying the poor coughing girl and they quickly reached the edge of the stands. The unknown anbu extended his hand toward Hinata and it began glowing green as he started to properly treat the Hyuga princess internal injuries, "That's medical ninjutsu!" Sakura said impressed by the man's skill, "Yes it is," he replied flatly and within a few moments Hinata was conscious and finally fully healed.

Hinata looked around a little a little before seeing Sakura and the two quickly embraced but when they went to thank the unknown nin he had disappeared. The duo eventually made their way back to their seats, while she sat down next to Ino one thought was dominating Sakura's mind, 'How can I learn to be as good medic as he was? Who is there to teach me?' she wondered while the match below continued.

Without warning Neji ceased his assault and just scowled at the blonde, suddenly removing his headband showing off his caged bird seal once again, "You know nothing about the Hyuga clan and how sick and deprived they can truly be. You see I learned the truth when they murdered my own father," he explained with contempt. Naruto's scowl vanished slightly as he responded,

"I already know all about the horrible shit that went down between your father and Hinata's but that's no reason to treat her the way you do!" the blonde barked out causing Neji to laugh, "Figures she would tell you, fine then there's nothing left to be said, prepare to die Uzumaki-Namikaze," he said cruelly. Naruto's anger rose,

'Kami damn it, damn it, damn it! I hate this but I have to win for Hinata's sake as well as yours Neji so screw it! If Fu could control her's, then there's no reason I can't control mine!' he thought as he began trying to look deep inside himself and forming a hand sign causing a fox to smile sinisterly, 'That's right kit, you know you need my power, so here take it,' the nine-tails said from within.

Naruto was surprised how easily the demon's chakra flowed into his body but was able to cut off the connection before his mind was consumed. Suddenly like Fu before, Naruto was engulfed in a one-tailed cloak of orange chakra, his eyes slitted red, and his fingers mirrored claws but instead of malice the blonde's face only mirrored that classic Naruto smile.

Everyone in the arena looked on in shock by this new development and finally Naruto looked at his opponent with disdain using his now slitted eyes, "This is the curse that my own father gave to me, the very day I was born Neji, believe it," he announced solemnly and with that the two genin attacked each other full force using nothing but their taijutsu skills, kicking up and incredible amount of dirt and dust, blinding everyone in the arena and eventually causing a loud explosion as both fighters were sent crashing to the ground hard.

Neji got to his feet first laughing cruelly as he approached the injured blonde, he reared a kunai and sunk it deep into his opponent's chest causing two girls to scream out in fright but everyone was shocked when the boy turned into nothing but smoke. Neji tried turning around quickly but was too slow to stop the blonde behind him running through hand signs at a remarkable pace, "**Summoning Jutsu!**" he screamed using his last bits of nine-tails chakra summoning Gamabunta the chief of all toads right on top of the Hyuga prick.

Neji was immediately crushed by the toad's gargantuan weight and size breaking the bastards legs in the process. The Hyuga let out a cry of pain and suffering but was able to form one word while half his body was buried under the toad, "How?" he gritted out angrily. Naruto looked at him with an emotionless expression,

"You overused your eyes and that was the weakness I was waiting for, see as soon as I landed I created a clone and burrowed my way under the ground, directly behind you and used arguably my most powerful jutsu in order to fulfill the promises I made to Sakura and Hinata as well as you, from one month ago, believe it!" Neji did his best to remain conscious but was fading fast,

"Just like Sakura said I never go back on my word, I will become Hokage even if I was dead last of my year and even if I only have one jutsu to my name, I promise you I will fulfill my dream!" Naruto started walking to the competitors box but turned around one more time to face his defeated opponent,

"And I know you can do it too because unlike me you're not a complete failure," were the blonde's last words and with that the proctor finally announced, "Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto was almost inside the competitors box when the chief grabbed the boy by his tongue and brought him to his eye level, "Brat, don't you dare try to summon me for such simple bullshit again and just for this you can piss off for at least the next three months," the toad stated angry and annoyed that he had been used as nothing more than heavy ass weight.

With that the chief threw the blonde to the ground who landed with a thud and disappeared into a giant puff of smoke returning to Mt. Myoboku, planning on ignoring any call from his new henchman for quite some time. Naruto got to his feet and muttered something under his breath.

He finally got to his seat and Neji was dragged off to the infirmary when the next match was announced, "Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara," Without warning a poof of smoke was seen at the center of the arena and just as suddenly it dispersed revealing Kakashi and Sasuke looking better than ever, "Yo, sorry if were late," the jonin said simply and left just as quickly leaving Sasuke to stare down his sadistic opponent alone.

"Hey teme, thought you were scared of me!" Naruto waved to his friend with a huge grin. Sasuke turned around and showed a smirk, "I take it you won then, good just as I expected dobe." Sasuke replied, "Now I just have to deal with this ugly bastard, then I can put you in your place," he finished while returning his attention to his opponent. Naruto just warned him to be careful while Gaara's made his way to the arena taking the long way around.

"Shikamaru lets go upstairs," Naruto said without warning, the Nara looked at him about to argue but when he saw the odd look on his comrade's face he simply nodded and followed him to the upper levels of the stadium. It was within the next minute or so the pair were in full sprint and as they reared a corner and saw nothing but blood and tattered limbs on the ground.

In the middle halfway was Gaara wearing a sick smile while his killer intent filled the small corridor, the two quickly hid behind a corner letting the murder walk past them unseen. The Leaf genin gave each other matching looks that said, "We have to get the hell out of here," and raced to the stands meeting up with Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Lee who had come to watch the finals but before Naruto could open his mouth to tell them the tale Gaara's horror his lips were sealed by a blushing Hyuga heiress.

As she separated from her soulmate she said happily, "Thank you Naruto-kun that was amazing down there," Hinata smiled brightly. "Yeah Naruto-kun, you really kicked his ass or crushed his legs if you prefer, cha!" Sakura added while throwing one arm in the air and hugging him with the other. Naruto was caught in a daze for a moment but before he could inform them of the danger Shikamaru whispered in his ear,

"Shut up you troublesome idiot, if it gets really bad we'll all interfere, it's a total fucking drag I know but don't worry them if we don't have to," he said simply. Naruto nodded in understanding and took a seat in between his cherry blossom and sweet moonlight while Shikamaru sat on the other side of his bossy teammate. Meanwhile Gaara had finally reached the arena and gave the last Uchiha an emotionless expression. when the proctor finally announced, "Begin!"

* * *

**Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara**

** "**Please don't be angry with me mother, I know that blood was foul," Gaara said seemingly in pain while he held his head, "But don't worry this blood will definitely be tasty," he finished while grinning sadistically. Sasuke had heard enough of this crazy shit and started hurling shuriken at his opponent with little signs of stopping but Gaara easily blocked them all with his sand.

Sasuke eventually relented and charged the sand nin using the taijutsu skills he gained from training and copying Lee's techniques but Gaara used his sand clones to try and distract him. Sasuke easily saw through it getting close enough to land a direct hit on the boy's face causing Gaara to stumble back and the raven haired teen to smirk, "That's your sand shield right, it's a good thing that I'm a lot faster than I used to be, now come on let's get serious!" the sharingan warrior said with a slightly cocky grin.

Gaara didn't move a muscle so Sasuke leapt into action first, "Fine I'll just come to you sand freak, funny how you'll be defeated by the same techniques you considered weak!" before anyone could blink Sasuke was behind Gaara landing a sharp kick to his ribs sending him back but Sasuke kept up his pursuit smashing the jinchuuriki face into pieces of sand,

"Is that all you've got, you're weaker than both dobes combined," In the stands an echoing duet of, "Screw you teme, believe it!" was heard throughout the arena causing the Uchiha to chuckle a bit. "Those are my techniques," Lee said with tears,

"Yes Lee, Sasuke saw how powerful you were and did his best to master the art you perfected," Kakashi replied. "Why?" Lee questioned even though he already knew the answer, Kakashi sighed, "He wanted to get stronger and even though he'll probably never admit it I think he wanted to avenge you too," Kakashi admitted. The genin looked on at the jonin solemnly for a moment before replying,

"I… I understand and tell him thank you," Lee said before looking to Naruto, "Naruto-san, congratulations on defeating Neji," the blonde shared a small smile with his friend before they redirected their attention back to fight. The last Uchiha looked at his opponent again and was surprised to see that he had been engulfed in his sand forming a perfect sphere around the red haired teen shielding him from any incoming attacks.

Sasuke tried using his taijutsu to break the shield but his attacks did less than nothing, 'Shit, nothings getting through, I have no choice, I just hope I don't have to use it more than twice,' he finalized as he backed away and began gathering chakra into left hand. Just like Kakashi in the Land of Waves his protege's chakra formed into lightning and the sounds of birds chirping echoed across the stadium. Naruto and Sakura looked at their sensei in shock the blonde adding,

"My turn next, believe it, Kakashi sensei!" The jonin's sweat dropped a bit but he simply nodded and the remaining members of Team 7 returned their gaze to their third member, "The reason I trained Sasuke myself and not you Naruto is simple, Sasuke and I, are exactly the same," Kakashi said softly as Sasuke's attack reached completion. Without warning his jutsu stabilized and his sharingan activated finally revealing his now fully completed six tomoe sharingan for the first time causing a snake to smile evilly,

'Perfect now I just have to kill Sarutobi sensei and your all mine,' the viper thought. Sasuke charged his opponent full force his new jutsu at the ready, his new speed helping more than he would like to admit, and his completed eyes allowing him to counter almost any attack. Within seconds Sasuke was in front of the sand nin and before anyone could blink,

"**Chidori!**" Sasuke screamed lunging his left hand directly into Gaara's sand aiming for the boy hiding inside. Unbeknownst to most several enemy undercover nin were preparing a powerful genjutsu, "Mother! Blood! Why is there blood mother?!" the sand jinchuuriki began breaking down at the sight of his own fluids and suddenly Sasuke's hand was trapped deep in Gaara's sand. Sasuke pulled away as hard as he could but when he did someone's arm came with his and it wasn't Gaara's,

"What the fuck!" Sasuke said as he backed away from the sand nin and without warning Gaara's sand shield and the creepy looking arm disintegrated. Suddenly feathers all fell around the stadium and many of the villagers and younger shinobi fell victim to it's knockout effects but luckily three kunochi noticed and made a quick hand sign, "**Kai!, Release!**" the three girls echoed and then began shaking Naruto and Shikamaru in an attempt to wake them from their current state of slumber.

Meanwhile the jonin engaged the enemy nin full force and the Third Hokage faced his deadliest opponent yet, his old student Orochimaru who had impersonated the Kazekage and planned this terrible plot. The Hokage and the snake found themselves trapped inside a barrier in which no one could enter and no one could leave. As they started to engage in their life or death struggle the sand siblings rushed to their younger brothers side,

"Gaara, Gaara what's wrong?" Temari asked trying to comfort her little brother, "Shit, what are we going to do now?" Kankuro said aloud and without warning their sensei appeared, "I'm calling it off take Gaara and retreat!" he ordered and then charged the last Uchiha but the proctor blocked his path with his kunai, "Sasuke, I'm sorry but the exam is already over but you should know I already consider you a chunin and now it's time to act like one, pursue those ninjas and take them down," the Leaf jonin ordered while pointing toward the escaping sand nin.

Sasuke simply nodded and followed in quick pursuit while Naruto and Shikamaru finally awoke. The platinum blonde suddenly spotted her Sasuke-kun, "Come on you lazy bastards, lets go!" Without warning Ino went after the raven haired teen, "The four of you listen close, I'm giving you an A-rank mission, follow Sasuke and Ino, and provide them with reinforcements, **Summoning Jutsu!** Pakun, lead these kids to Sasuke for me," Kakashi yelled as he sliced through two enemy nin using his kunai.

The four genin had no choice but to follow the nin dog in quick pursuit exiting the stadium finding themselves in the large forest of Konoha catching up with the bossiest girl in the Leaf, "So you finally caught up," Ino teased causing Sakura to smirk, "You have no idea where your going, do you pig," Sakura said. Ino rubbed the back of her head and fell into formation behind Pakun but it wasn't a few minutes later when the ninja hound smelled an unfriendly scent,

"At least ten enemies on our tail we have to do something!" Shikamaru looked to Ino who eventually begrudgingly nodded and went to stand just in front of Uzumaki-Namikaze trio, "Please just bring him home," Ino asked causing all three genin to grin, "Don't worry Ino, I'll drag the teme back if I have to, believe it!," Naruto said, "Yeah Ino, we're his teammates remember, we always have his back, cha!" Sakura added, "We promise Ino-san we'll save him together," Hinata finished. Ino smiled warmly at her friends before following Shikamaru to set up an ambush for their pursuers.

Meanwhile Sasuke had caught up to the sand nin but had been forced to engage Kankuro in battle letting Gaara and Temari move on ahead. Fortunately for him the Aburame's had their own score to settle with the puppeteer, "Sasuke, your mission is to defeat Gaara let us handle this one, why?" Shino started as he landed in front of the enemy shinobi,

"Because we have a score to settle with this prick," Fu finished as she landed next to the boy who was sporting a brand new pair of shades. Sasuke chuckled a little, "He's all yours," was his simple reply as he returned to the trees in order to track down the remaining sand genin.

It didn't take long as he found the pair in minutes but was shocked when Gaara let out a roar, "Sasuke Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha! I need your blood to make me feel alive!" he screamed in a sadistic fashion. "What is this freak?" Sasuke said to himself as he got ready for battle but deep inside he knew, the war for the Leaf Village had started and there was no going back.

* * *

"So Shikamaru what's our plan?" Ino asked but Shikamaru simply sighed, "Against this many enemies, the more I think about it, the more I think it would have been better if you went on ahead with Naruto and the others." This caused the blonde to scowl but after seeing his face she simply huffed out,

"And why is that?" Shikamaru's face remained unchanged, "I honestly don't see away we can distract them for very long without dying, there's too little water in the air for your mist jutsu to be effective. The only thing we can do now, is trap them with my shadow possession until my chakra runs out then…" the Nara smiled at his teammate but she ended up finishing for him, "Then they'll kill you," she said, realizing the truth.

She turned her head to her oldest friend with a look of determination as she said, "Then we'll die as comrades Shikamaru," the boy looked at her in shock about to argue but, "Shut up please, it's my choice, ok," she explained while holding her finger to his lips silencing him. Shikamaru huffed, "Fine, Kami what a drag, you really are going to torture me until my dying breath aren't you Ino," he replied while wearing a rare grin. Ino just smiled as a reply and the pair descended into a clearing where they knew the enemy would soon be coming.

Nine of the nin landed and started their search for the leaf genin, finding pawprints in the dirt and then without warning they were all frozen stiff. "Sorry looks like I caught you with my Shadow Possession Jutsu, guess I win," Shikamaru announced pissing off the sound jonin, "I can't believe we were caught by that brat!" one of the men echoed.

"Don't worry, he can't keep us stuck for long and then he'll be all ours," another gloated. Shikamaru chuckled, "You're probably right but maybe not," he replied and then looked to the trees. Sure enough Ino had taken the last nin by surprise, when the bastard tried to ambush the Nara and with that he turned his gaze to the sky wondering how in the hell they were going to get out of this troublesome mess.

Oddly enough the boy's prayers were answered when Asuma appeared behind him in a puff of smoke, "Well done Shikamaru, Ino, you did well. Now if you can still move go and catch up with the others. I'll handle the rest," he ordered the two members of Team 10, before the genin could blink the sound jonin were all defeated by Asuma's incredible skills and chakra blades. Ino and Shikamaru quickly obeyed their sensei's orders and did their best to regroup with their friends hoping against hope that they wouldn't be too late to help.

* * *

The sand genin quickly prepared his puppet for battle but Shino and Fu quickly scattered among the trees hiding themselves and preparing to strike. Kankuro looked around and thought he spotted a patch of blue hair sending his puppet in full force trying to use it's poison covered blades to strike the female jinchuuriki but when his attack hit she dissolved into nothing but bugs, 'Shit, where are they?' he thought.

Without warning Kankuro heard, "**Secret Art - Scaled Powder Jutsu!**" he looked up and was slightly blinded by the powder's shine. The sand nin rubbed his eyes quickly but was shocked when he felt something crawling on his face, "Eh, eh, what the hell how did that bastard get his bugs on me?" he shouted, trying to shake the many creatures off of his limbs and face, "Sorry, but I blinded you just long enough for you to lose concentration on your puppet and well, Shino-kun," the girl grinned and looked to the boy in shades,

"And that gave me the opportunity to latch my bugs onto your puppet. Why, because my insects love to devour chakra and your chakra threads were a great meal for them. As an added bonus they ended up leading right to you," Shino explained calmly. Shino and Fu shared a smile but as they went to capture the nin they were surprised when a kunai forced them back,

"Please don't kill him!" someone screamed as they headed through the trees and finally landed next to the eldest son of the Kazekage. Shino and Fu recognized the girl at once, she had long black hair with eyes that matched along with a pale skin complexion. On her head was a Leaf headband which forced both Aburame's do a double take. Finally Fu had the courage to ask the unknown girl, "Um, your name's Kin right?"

* * *

As Gaara let out his deafening roar the already distressed sand kunoichi backed away from the two fighters hoping against hell that her brothers would come out of this alive. Sasuke knew he had to end this fast otherwise that freak would complete his horrifying transformation. He quickly threw half a dozen kunai directly at the jinchuuriki but they just got trapped in the monster's massive sand hand.

This was what the Uchiha hoped for however as he quickly ran through hand signs while holding the wires that were connected to the kunai now buried in the boy's sand, "**Fire Style - Dragon Flame Jutsu!**" he shouted erupting a giant concentrated blast of fire from his mouth. It followed the wires and reached the paper bombs attached to the kunai exploding the arm and distracting Garra for long enough to prepare his real attack.

When the sand nin gathered himself and looked around quickly spotting the Uchiha in the same stance he had seen earlier. He immediately sent his sand after the raven haired teen but Sasuke's jutsu reached completion just in time, activating his sharingan and dodging Gaara's attack by inches he came closer and closer finally piercing the creature while screaming, "**Chidori!**"

Unfortunately for Sasuke, Gaara had avoided a fatal blow by inches only catching the red haired teen's arm, drawing blood but not damaging it enough to make a difference to the sand nin. Sasuke tried backing away but Gaara caught his arm in his sand again, "Fuck!" He screamed as his arm was crushed not as badly as Lee's but it was painful nonetheless. It did give him the opportunity to finally back away though.

This proved useless however as Gaara quickly caught the Uchiha using the sand but before any damage could be done to his body, "Get off of Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto screamed as he created several clones and managed to get Sasuke out of the sadistic teen's grip. The trio of Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata stood on a branch as the clone quickly brought the sharingan warrior over to his boss.

"Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, stay back only I can finish this guy," the blonde stated with an unreadable look. Sakura went to argue but was stopped when Hinata put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. Sakura looked aggravated at first but after looking back to her baka and seeing his face she begrudgingly nodded and started to treat her raven haired teammates wounds.

Naruto jumped through the trees to face the boy who was more like him than he cared to admit and quickly formed a hand sign, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto's clones went in hard but they were no match for the jinchuuriki's strength quickly being dispelled but when Gaara thought he got the last one, "**Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu - One Thousand Years of Death!**

He heard the blonde shout behind him but after repelling his attacker he suddenly felt an explosion tear through his sand distracting him for a few moments as he regrouped, "Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki, I want your blood and then that pink banshee and Sasuke Uchiha as well. I will feed mother, she needs sustenance, I see you brought that Hyuga girl too. I bet her blood will taste delicious mother," the insane teen ranted on.

Meanwhile Naruto was doing his best to meditate and do something he never thought or ever wanted to do trying his best to get into that damn sewer he knew the fox was waiting for him. The next time the baka opened his eyes he was indeed inside the fox's seal and there he was standing behind thick bars looking down at him menacingly,

"What brat I assume you want more chakra in order to defeat that weak ass excuse for a bijuu Shukaku,' the nine-tails growled out. Naruto chuckled a little, "Yeah I hate to admit it but the only way to win is if you're willing to help me, believe it," he replied and then looked at the fox oddly before asking, "What's your name?" The fox actually softened a tiny bit but replied in a Sakura like manner, "Fine you want chakra see if you can handle two tails kit! Now get the hell out of here before I eat you!" he screamed.

Naruto felt the fox's chakra surge through him but was annoyed when he started getting pushed out of the seal, "Wait!" he cried, "You didn't answer me!" The fox gave him one last look of malice as he replied stubbornly, "Kurama, now go!" he barked and the next thing Naruto knew he was back in the real world.

He pushed whatever questions he had for the fox to the back of his mind as he stared down his opponent. He could feel the nine-tails chakra coursing through his body and the fox's mind trying to take control but that unknown party was nowhere to be found and he was able to suppress the majority of Kurama's influence over him even with two-tails worth of demon chakra. Without warning the blonde made his signature hand sign,

"**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he shouted making his largest group of clones to date. The clones went in one after the other and this time they were fast enough and strong enough to devastate the son of the Kazekage through a series of brutal, punches, kicks, and stabs. Eventually the red haired jinchuuriki looked to the sky spotting the original Naruto with his foot coming down hard, "**2000x Uzumaki Barrage!**" he shouted while delivering a ferocious kick to the jinchuriki knocking him down to the ground.

Gaara just laughed a little as he got back to his feet and then grinned with blood lust emanating from every corner of the boy's mouth, "Yes Naruto Uzumaki now my mother and I will take all of your blood together, **Play Possum Jutsu!**" With that the red haired teen collapsed into a state of slumber and Shukaku finally took full control,

"Wooh, yeah baby, I'm free now to deal with you puny bugs," he barked out ecstatic to be free and to have victims waiting for him. 'Crap!' "Multi-Shad…" the blonde's words were cut off as the bijuu grabbed Naruto's whole body. He struggled to no avail as Shukaku's sand slowly crushed him to death and as he saw the last glimmers of light escape the monster's sand, he closed his eyes preparing for inevitable end.

* * *

When the Uzumaki finally opened them again he was surprised to find himself in all too familiar location. He saw he was standing in front of the academy and also in front of him was the boy he knew all too well, crying his poor little heart out on the lonely swing.

Naruto walked up to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder ceasing the boy's wails of pain and forcing him to face his elder self. Naruto's look of pity instantly turned to horror as he saw his younger self's face, his skin had been melded with that of the nine-tails making his face appear to be some sort of disgusting cross between human and animal. The younger began laughing as he asked,

"So we finally meet, are you ready to accept the truth then?" he asked in a voice definitely not his own or even Kurama's. Naruto still looked shaken as he inquired, "What… What do you mean? Who the hell are you?" The half fox half boy started laughing in a more sadistic fashion but replied nonetheless, "Well you see, I'm you or more precisely, the true you," he said causing the last of Naruto's fear to be replaced with anger and agitation,

"That's bull crap, I know who I am! My name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze son of the Four…" "Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki as well as the future Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village and husband of Sakura Haruno Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga Namikaze," the younger finished with a grin and then added, "Third jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox, Kurama!" he finished while he looked at his counterpart who was now stunned from the boy's knowledge.

The younger took advantage of his elder's state by quickly snapping his fingers and changing the landscape around them revealing Shukaku, Sakura, Hinata and Sasuke, "Let me show just how far you're going to go without me," he said with a cruel smile. Without warning Shukaku jumped into the air, **"Wind Style - Air Bullet!**" The bijuu screamed causing the largest gust of wind that Konoha had ever seen uprooting trees and removing branches but most importantly forcing most of leaves that were covering the leaf genin to fall to the ground.

The Shukaku laughed cruelly, "Good now for more blood, that blonde brat couldn't even satisfy me a little. I hope you'll prove more of a challenge Uchiha!" the massive monster wailed sending his sand straight for the genin. Even with a shattered arm he managed to push the kunoichi out harm's way and took the bijuu's attack full force being completely engulfed by the grainy earth. "Sasuke no!" the two girls screamed, tears already overflowing from the death of their beloved Naruto-kun.

The last Uchiha was able to cry out even submerged, "Hinata, Sakura, run!" were his last words, "**Sand Coffin!**" Blood splattered everywhere as the boy was crushed and killed dying as a true leaf shinobi protecting his comrades to the very end. Unfortunately the demon took little pity on the two remaining girls, grabbing them and submerging them both, only letting the two cry the other's name before, "**Sand Coffin!**"

Shukaku shouted again killing Sakura and Hinata, leaving them in a state similar to the Uchiha who had fallen just before. The elder of the two Naruto's broke down in tears, "Kami why? Why?" he repeated again in pain and suffering as he sank to his knees. The younger scowled at his elder's weakness before smirking, "That is what will happen if you refuse my power and just so u know Oji-san is already dead. Now what will you do?"

Naruto looked at himself in shock but his sadness turned into a deep scowl, "Fine you win, just tell me what the hell to do!" The younger snickered as he asked, "Are you sure?" Naruto almost exploded, "Kami damn it, I'd sacrifice anything to protect my friends, I love Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke with all my heart, believe it! I don't give a shit what your intentions really are but if you can give me the power to save them, then do it already!" Naruto cried.

The younger looked at himself with an unreadable expression but finally said solemnly, "Take my hand," was his only reply. Naruto nodded and once the two boy's shook hands Naruto knew no more. Suddenly the three genin standing in the tree's felt a chakra almost as powerful as the bijuu trying to currently crush their comrade, "What is that?" Hinata asked. The two members of Team 7 looked at each other and Sakura answered as she began to cry,

"We really don't know," Sakura replied while breaking down at the state she knew Naruto was now in. Hinata looked back to the fight but was surprised when Gaara's grip was broken by her soulmate releasing a dark cruel and malevolent chakra which had possessed his entire body. Naruto was covered from head to toe in a deep crimson red cloak that even transformed some of his clothing and was just staring without emotion at the sand jinchuuriki while three long tails protruded from his body,

"Die," was all he said as he charged the bijuu full force shocking the creature with his new speed. 'What the hell is wrong with this kid? Is this that bastard fox's fault?' the bijuu's thought process was interrupted as his sand suffered brutal blow after brutal blow. 'Damn him he forcing me to waste so much chakra just to recover my sand,' Shukaku realized but before he could do anything the blonde was in front of the monster's host as he screamed out,

"Now you die!" the blonde wailed as he brought his clawed hand down to imaple the sleeping sand nin. Before this happened though two girls were able to break the spell the boy was under when they cried out his name, "Naruto-kun please come back to us! This isn't you! You're not the nine-tails you're our Naruto-kun!" they wailed and as they did all four seals that were embedded into their hands glowed brightly for the first time flashing different colors before the blonde realized he was back in complete control.

He hesitated for a moment and that gave the bijuu the time to counter, "**Wind Style - Air Bullet!**" he cried out blowing the blonde back through the trees but surprisingly enough he found he had the strength to stop himself just a few feet away from his loved ones. He looked down and examined himself, he still had all of his chakra as well as the three tailed demon cloak although it's color had lightened considerably almost to the point where it matched his personal favorite. He finally looked back to his friends,

"Thank you Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, without you two I honestly don't know what I'd do. I love you both so much, just please no matter what happens promise me one thing," he said to his soulmates. Hinata and Sakura both replied with a loving smile, "Anything," causing the blonde to smile back at the two girls,

"Promise me you won't die before I do," he said solemnly and then turned to his opponent, "And I promise I won't die until we fulfill our dreams and I become Hokage!" he promised and then shouted using his new power, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" he screamed to the heavens. "You know the plan," was all he said and with that Naruto scattered disguising himself in the vast army he had created. "This stupid trick won't work Kurama," Shukaku wailed completely ignoring the fact that it was Naruto he was actually battling.

The sand demon hunted down the clones one by one crushing them out of existence but when he thought he got the last one, just above his head his anger turned to horror. The real Naruto was right below him with two clones using their hands to help the original form an unknown jutsu which was done before the bijuu could blink. Naruto's clone's tossed him toward Gaara using all of their chakra forcing them to dispel but it gave Naruto the opening he needed,

"Now wake up you stupid ugly bastard, **Rasengan!**" he shouted, sending a perfect blue orb of condensed chakra directly into his opponent's face, finally awakening the sand nin and forcing Shukaku back into his seal, "Damn you Kurama!" were the monster's last words and as he dispelled the two jinchuuriki fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"How? How are you so strong Naruto Uzumaki?" the red haired teen asked curious to how he as well as Shukaku had been defeated. Naruto rolled over on the ground to face him, "I was just like you once and I could've ended up just like you but the bonds I have with the people I treasure outweigh the evil in my soul and I know deep down you're the same way too, believe it Gaara," the blonde replied simply.

Gaara turned to face away and looked at the clear blue sky, "Maybe you're right Naruto Uzumaki," was all he said before the pair were swarmed by shinobi. Sakura and Hinata reached their boy within seconds and immediately started treating his wounds while Temari picked up her brother. "You had me so worried you damn baka!" Sakura said as she wailed into his chest and collapsed on top of the blonde in tears of joy.

"Silly Sakura, Naruto always keeps his word isn't that right Naru-kun," Hinata replied with a small smile and some tears of her own. Naruto looked at the pair fondly before simply saying, "I love you," and passing out a few moments later. Meanwhile the sand kunoichi retreated as Shikmaru and Ino finally arrived causing the Nara to sigh as he saw his crazy ass sand princess retreat back home and Ino went to check on her Sasuke-kun.

"Are you ok Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner," Ino apologized but Sasuke just waved her off with his good hand, "Don't worry about it, just treat me the best you can for now, ok," he replied with a small grin from the blonde's presence alone and the fact that she was safe even after all of this crazy shit. The battle was over and it wasn't long after that both the Uchiha and Uzumaki-Namikaze clans found themselves in the same hospital room.

* * *

July 10th, 64 AFL

Naruto managed to recover after only a few days and was able to attend Oji-san's funeral with his two loves. After the ceremony the trio walked away solemnly but were stopped when an old pervert they knew all too well appeared in front of them, "Pervy Sage, what the hell do you want?" Naruto asked more confused than anything else.

The old man grinned before explaining their mission, "Congrats, you three along with myself are going to go recruit the next Hokage so meet me at the gates tomorrow morning, ok be good and don't do anything I would do," he said with a smile and disappeared before the trio could even blink. Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata all looked at each other confused as all hell, wondering who they were going to go meet and the fact that, that person would become the next Hokage.

* * *

**AN: Wow this one was kinda hard just very long really. **

**Yeah Fu can control her one-tailed state with literally no problems and that initial revelation is what caused Naruto to even decide to attempt to use the fox's chakra if she can do it there's no reason he can't and he's the son of the Fourth he knows he can do it and no he would not have used it in a normal fight but Neji had to be defeated for his own sake and so did Gaara.**

**Seeing someone like him use that power is a much better argument than the old man he barely knows pressuring him to do it. He literally realized he had no other option in both instances.  
**

**I wish I could have done more with the flashbacks but anything more and it interfered with the pace of the story and I'm sorry for that**

**Because Naruto was exposed to his full one-tailed transformation on the bridge his body and mind have adapted to hold at least that level of chakra and like Fu is able to control one-tail without any real problems and after this chapter it will be up to two but anymore and gets way too dangerous with Kurama waiting to take over**

**I will confirm there are three personalities in both Naruto and Sasuke, for Naruto it's his own, Kurama and the unknown. As for Sasuke he has his own, the snake freak, and his own unknown persona as well**

**Shika vs. Temari was really hard and getting into Temari's head especially but I think I got her mostly right even a girl as strong as her can break please try to remember that at the end of the day they are just kids really and I think her distress was in reason and that is also why Shika was able to beat her was because she was so emotionally unstable and their relationship will develop more after the Sasuke retrieval arc.**

**As for Fu and Shino since he didn't go with the other genin during that mission there relationship will now develop for the most part off screen or off page if you prefer although they will still be around I see no reason in really exploring them too much more when the deal is already sealed for the most part and when they are not the main pairings in this fic **

**If you're wondering where Choji and Kiba were they were training, can't have every character involved all the time lol but Kiba's and Choji's time to be a badass is coming **

**Yes I completed Sasuke's sharingan with both the snake's arms messed up and Sasuke's hand borderline shattered all of the bastards focus will be on getting himself healed first as well as Sasuke which leads into the next chapter with Tsunade**

**Yeah Kankuro Kin bet you didn't see that one or if you did well done, yes it was Anko who found her in the forest and took her in for questioning but she didn't really know anything and after telling her story to the Hokage he took sympathy on her and gave her a home in the Leaf for now at least. Have plans for Neji like I said before but he still needs his redemption first and that starts with the Sasuke retrieval mission**

**Can't wait for the next one with Tsunade and having Sakura see someone just like her in the state she is in should be for some good drama lol will honestly probably focus more on those two more than it did with Naruto and Tsunade in the original but the old lady will still make all of the comparison with him and her brother and first love but since he already knows the rasengan it will definitely have to be a different challenge**

**Yeah Naruto tracked down the Pervy Sage after leaving the hospital that day and forced him to teach him the rasengan which he did master in seven days and he did not use against Neji because Pervy Sage told him if that attack collided with Neji's perfect defense then the shockwave could of potentially blown both fighters to all hell and I want this Naruto at least to always keep his promises, no matter how insane and yeah don't know how you guys are going to feel about the chief crushing Neji's ass but I loved it and allowed for me to make the ending I needed in order to progress with the story properly and also why the hell didn't he at least try summoning the chief to help capture Sasuke during their battle. **

**I haven't explained this yet but all of the crushes in this timeline were nerfed from the Soul Seal Jutsu's very existence, Sakura especially isn't stupid enough to put all of her dreams into something that may not happen and that's out of her control. All of the girls trained to become ninja in order to become ninja. It's as simple as that. Naruto is honestly the only one who was stupid enough to not know about the Soul Seal Jutsu so his crush would of been the only one unaffected**

**I chose Hinata and Sakura for Naruto because they were the girls in his life that cared for him the most and I truly believe he loved both girls deeply even if his love for Sakura went to a platonic level and Hinata's evolved into a romantic love in the original. He very clearly cared for them both which is the reason why they are Naruto's soulmates in this fic. **

**As for Sasuke I honestly could have given him Sakura but I honestly don't know how Sakura would have reacted to the massacre and especially at the fact that Sasuke might have had to actually kill Naruto for power. I do not believe she ever truly hated Naruto. She thought he was annoying but she would have never wanted him dead and it would have messed her up as well as made the plot a living nightmare to write lol**

**Karin was an easy choice because there are only two girls Sasuke ever gave a damn about and that was Sakura and Karin. I gave Ino her dream mainly because she did love him, she was breaking down crying just like Sakura did when Konoha decided he was an enemy that needed to put down and I do believe she would have genuinely cared for him if they were given the chance to develop properly. Really only explaining my thoughts when I started writing this if any of you are curious why I decided to explain this haha **

**Thank you all and I hope you enjoyed have to mention that I will be updating some of the older chapters with a few grammar corrections among other things within the next few days so be aware of that, actually should thank a random guest reviewer for pointing out my terrible use of contractions, if they hadn't I would of kept using the wrong yours and things like that without realizing so thank you. **

**Also Thank you gunner again your reviews are always great to hear, I definitely don't crave reviews like a lot of other writers do but it's always nice to know you enjoyed so thank you again.**

**Like I said before goodbye and thank you all and will try to get the next chapter which we'll likely cover everything from Sasuke's reunion with Itachi to the induction of the next Hokage and probably ending right after we find out who earned the rank of chunin. I'm sorry if the ending of the chapter feels a little rushed but really all I'm trying to do is set up the next part of the story when I do that and chances are i'll recount the meeting with Pervy Sage and the Uzumaki- Namikazes thoughts on their upcoming mission in the beginning of the next chapter hopefully within the next two weeks as per normal but we will see. Farewell and goodbye for now!**


	15. The Search for the Fifth Hokage

**Chapter 15: The Search for the Fifth Hokage**

* * *

July 10th, 64 AFL

It was a dark day for Konoha as they said goodbye to their beloved Third Hokage who had given his life to protect the village and to stop the traitorous Orochimaru from taking over.

The Uzumaki-Namikaze trio were making their way from the old man's funeral with sadness and loss burned into their eyes but were suddenly surprised when they saw a man they all knew appear before them. "Pervy Sage, what the hell do you want?"

Naruto inquired wondering what might possess his Ero-sensei to stick around the village. The old man grinned happily as he replied, "Congratulations, you three along with myself are going to go recruit the next Hokage. So wake up early and meet me at the village gates tomorrow morning. We'll be heading to a small town just a couple miles outside the Leaf. So be good you three and don't do anything I would do," he said with a smile and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The trio looked at each other confused but decided to continue their walk across the village undeterred, "I wonder who the next Hokage is going to be?" Hinata suddenly said. "It's a bunch of crap, I mean really, I defeated Gaara, I'm more than ready to be Hokage, believe it!" the blonde bragged causing both girls to sigh.

"Naruto, we both know how strong you are and how incredible it was but I think we still have a long way to go before you're ready my baka," Sakura explained and then continued, "You're well on your way with Master Jiraiya's training but it's me that needs a real sensei if I'm going to be as good a kunoichi as your mom or Mito Uzumaki."

Hinata enforced Sakura's point, "Sakura's right, we both need to get stronger if we're going to stand by your side when you become Hokage Naruto-kun," the Hyuga princess stated honestly. Naruto could only smile, "You know I have at least three days I can't wait for," he said causing both girls to look at the blonde with confusion but Naruto started elaborating,

"The first is when I become Hokage and the second is the day I officially marry you two," he said causing both girls to blush but Sakura had to know, "What's the third Naruto-kun?" He gave Sakura that damn look that made her knees weak and then turned to Hinata who's blush increased even more, "The day that a little girl with pink hair and blue eyes and another girl with black hair and whisker marks are playing together," he explained as he pointed toward the local park where there were several children all laughing and playing like the kids that they were.

Both girls looked at the blonde in shock redder than Sakura's dress from the blonde's proclamation but they both understood that Naruto's dream was to become Hokage as well as to be loved, accepted, and acknowledged. They also knew he had a dream he hadn't even told them yet and that was to have the one thing he had been denied his entire life,  
a family.

The pair could only smile as they intertwined their fingers with his and made their way to Sakura's house at a snail's pace in order to extend their time together. The trio eventually made their way to their destination and the blonde was gifted kisses on both cheeks making him as embarrassed as his soulmates had been,

"Good night Hinata-hime, Sakura-hime, I love you two." The girls giggled and doubled their kiss count, "Good night Naru-kun, I love you too," Hinata replied happily. "You know I love you too, sweet dreams Naruto-kun," Sakura said and with that the two girls entered Sakura's home. The blonde slowly made his way home giddy from his girlfriends, still saddened by Oji-san's death, and curious as all hell at who would be the next Hokage.

Meanwhile Sakura and Hinata entered Sakura's bedroom, "Who do you think we're going to meet Sakura?" Hinata asked. Sakura looked at her while scratching her chin in thought, "I don't know Hinata but I need to call Ino-pig and see how her and Sasuke are doing. He did get his hand all messed up remember and the nurses finally forced her to go home during the night," the pinkette explained as she headed out of her room to find her family's house phone.

She returned a few moments later to Hinata's laughing, "What's so funny?" Sakura asked. Hinata managed to calm down a little, "I just find it funny that you and Ino have to compete in everything even who's more stubborn," she explained while laughing a little more. Sakura had a tick mark appear on her forehead but her annoyance shifted into a foxy grin as she grabbed her pillow and chucked it at her counterpart.

This quickly evolved into a full fledged pillow fight until the two finally tuckered out falling asleep in Sakura's bed and before either of them knew any better they were laying side by side more comfortable than they had felt in a long time. They had smiles on their faces but in the end they couldn't shake the feeling of something or someone missing from their side.

* * *

July 11th, 64 AFL

Early the next morning Sakura and Hinata approached the gates spotting Naruto and Jiraiya patiently waiting for them, involved in some sort of conversation. When the pair finally reached the two Sakura questioned the old pervert,

"So who are we going to meet Master Jiraiya?" Sakura asked, causing the old man's attention to shift to the pinkette. Oddly enough the old man was wearing a look she swore she had seen somewhere before as he stared at her blankly,

"Uh, Pervy Sage, Sakura asked you something," Naruto said snapping Jiraiya out of his daydream, "Well I'm sure you've heard of her since you're interested in medical ninjutsu," the sage grinned and then added another hint, "She was my old teammate and childhood crush."

"Master Jiraiya that's not really a helpful hint we met you less than a month ago remember," Hinata explained. Sakura thought it over for a moment before bursting out, "No way, is it really the slug sannin Lady Tsunade," Sakura said with a look of awe of admiration,

"Kami this is exciting," Sakrua squealed in delight causing Naruto to look at her in confusion,"Who's Lady Tsunade?" Naruto asked but Hinata explained before Sakura could get annoyed,

"She's the greatest medical ninja in the world Naruto-kun and her skills put her on the same level as Master Jiraiya. That's the reason why they both share the title of sannin," the hyuga heiress said with her own excited grin at meeting such a legendary kunoichi.

Jiraiya laughed a little, "There's actually a really funny story about how we got the title of sannin but I'll tell you guys another time," the sage said. Naruto turned to Sakura with a smile, "This is great Sakura-chan now you and maybe even Hinata-chan will have somebody to help you guys get stronger, believe it!" he shouted in delight as he wrapped the pinkette in a hug lifting her off the ground and kissing her forehead in excitement. Sakura was even more ecstatic than before and when her baka put her down,

"That's the plan Naruto-kun and with her training I'll be able to heal both of you no matter how badly you get hurt, now what are we waiting for let's go find the Fifth Hokage, cha!" Sakura replied and with that she started down the trail at a near sprint causing the other three members of their group to chuckle. Naruto took Hinata's hand and kissed her cheek before the pair quickly chased after their overly energetic cherry blossom.

The toad sage trailed behind the trio, thoughts cluttering the pervert's mind but one sticking above all other, 'Tsunade-hime I have a few surprises for you tehehe but the biggest one is definitely the jutsu I got from sensei.' The old man grinned at the trio in front of him, 'And if that knucklehead and that crazy little pinkette are bonded then I have a good feeling about us tehehe,' he thought and then looked to the clear blue sky.

He wandered in a daydream for a good few minutes before focusing his mind, "But first I have to convince you to become the next Hokage and that may be an even bigger problem," the old man thought and could only sigh until he heard, "Let's go Pervy Sage we don't have all day and Sakura-chan wants to move on, believe it!" his apprentice wailed and just as he said the trio picked up their pace. Pervy Sage chuckled a little,

"Alright kid you want to race, then let's go!" be shouted while laughing and quickly zoomed by the genin at a breakneck pace. The trio shared a smile before following the sage their speed increasing yet again but little did they know that two members of what would become the world's greatest threat were entering their village.

Only two short hours later, while Ino sat by Sasuke's hospital bed sharing a small meal, without warning they heard a nurse scream while running down the hall, "Itachi Uchiha and an unknown nin are battling Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhei, do you know where Might Gai or any of our other jonin are. They need reinfor…" the girl vanished from ear shot and the pair looked at each other before nodding. Ino helped Sasuke get his gear together and the pair exited the hospital's window in an attempt to help their senseis battle the evil bastard and hopefully with any luck avenge their clan.

* * *

It was around an hour after the group left the Leaf when they finally reached the small gambling town, located just a few miles outside of Konoha but when they walked into town the Uzumakis could only scowl at the pervert as he demanded, "Alright brats cough up your ryo, I'm going to need it if we want to find any info on Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya said with a grin.

"Screw you Pervy Sage, I work my ass off for every ryo I get and trust me I need it more than you," Naruto stated annoyed but truthfully nonetheless. Sakura scowled vanished when she heard Jiraiya add -hime to Tsunade's name and wondered again, 'Wait is this old pervert in love with Lady Tsunade maybe he is serious about finding her after all, believe it' but before she could inquire the Uzumakis were surprised when Hinata handed Jiraiya a giant wad of ryo,

"This should be plenty but if you need more just come back and meet us over by that lake," she said and then pointed to the lake that was just a short walk adjacent to the town. The sage nodded his head like a damn fool more than happy with the amount of cash he had gotten out the Hyuga princess and ran off to the town to find out whatever information he could about the missing slug sannin.

With that the trio made their way to the small lake and rested in the shade of a tree, enjoying the summer weather and the beauty of nature laid out before them. Something was clawing at Sakura's mind however and she knew it had to be brought up even if Hinata may not like it, "Um Hinata, I hate to ask but are the elders of your clan going to put that same messed up seal on your forehead? You know like they did with Neji since now you're technically going to be a Namikaze?" she asked with sadness and worry evident in her tone and expression.

Hinata teared up a little and only nodded causing the blonde to go ballistic, "There's no way in hell I'll let them get away with that Hinata-hime. I'll kick all their asses myself and destroy their stupid jutsu, believe it!" Hinata looked at the blonde fondly before rubbing his cheek with affection,

"Thank you Naruto-kun but I don't know if we're going to have a choice in the end. That's why I'm so thankful for Sakura, she's been keeping me so busy and more importantly away from the compound but now that the chunin exams are over I honestly don't know how long it will be before they force it on me." she explained.

"That's why you guys don't know how happy I was to know we were leaving the village and how grateful I was to Master Jiraiya," "So that's why you gave the pervert so much ryo," Sakura realized as she looked at her counterpart with sympathy. "Hinata-hime," Naruto replied softly, "Yes Naru-kun," she said while turning to him,

"Remember we are the Namikaze clan, we're seal masters and I know for fact that any seal made by chakra can be broken by the right formula and the right amount of chakra, believe it!" Sakura smiled, "That's right, believe it, cha!" Hinata looked warmly at the two of them, "Thank you Naru-kun, Sakura I love you two,' she said affectionately and then laid back on the ground trying to relax a little causing Sakura to smirk as she got more comfortable on the grass herself, "And we love you, now come on we might as well relax until the pervert gets back," the pinkette replied while closing her eyes.

Naruto and Hinata shared a smile, laid back down and it wasn't long before the trio drifted off into a state of slumber Naruto in the middle, Hinata on his right and Sakura on his left. It was a little over an hour later when the blonde awoke to an all too familiar feeling in his bladder.

He knew he had to piss so he gently got up and walked toward the town, spotting a small restaurant just a short walk away. He entered the public restroom and relieved himself but after washing his hands and exiting the bathroom he was met by a somewhat familiar but far from friendly face. "Hey you look just like the teme!" Naruto blurted out surprised by the man's appearance.

"So you're Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox," the raven haired man replied causing the blonde to back away, "How the hell do you know about that? Answer me you discount teme!" he shouted as he backed away but before he could form a hand sign he was struck by something sharp and hard causing him to fly back, "Wow Zabimaru likes this kid maybe I can feed him the brat's legs and arm for a treat," another unknown nin said with sadistic glee.

Naruto got to his feet again and examined the enemy nin carefully, they were wearing black cloaks with red clouds embedded in the fabric. One of the nin looked like an older version of Sasuke while the other had a creepy looking sword, blue skin, and shark like teeth. "No Kisame, we must bring the jinchuuriki in unharmed and alive remember," the raven haired man explained. "Fine Itachi you're really no fun at all," Kisame said and then grinned sadistically at the blonde.

Before anyone could move Naruto heard a voice behind him scream, "Itachi die! **Chidori!**''Sasuke screamed as he ran toward his brother full force with no fear in his eyes as he tried to execute his strongest jutsu even with a messed up hand. Itachi just grinned and before Sasuke could even come close he grabbed his hand and twisted it dispelling the younger Uchiha's jutsu,

"Brave or stupid attacking me with a shattered hand little brother. Now let me remind you who you are, **Mangekyou Sharingan - Tsukuyomi!**" Itachi nearly screamed while his eyes transformed from the normal six tomoe sharingan to its ultimate form the legendary Mangekyou. As for Sasuke he was forced once again to relive that terrible night for three days straight but this time Sasuke didn't fall unconscious although he was exhausted and his head hurt like all hell,

"Little brother I am so disappointed, I thought maybe you were strong enough to kill me someday but I see know I was right about you being too weak to be worth killing," Itachi explained. Sasuke and Naruto scowled at the rouge Uchiha, "Naruto Uzumaki is the prize that the Akatsuki are after and you're just a weak brat that's useless to everyone around them!" "Enough Itachi I'm sick of this. Let's just kill this brat and take the jinchuuriki," Kisame said but before they could move in the shinobis vision became blurred as a thick mist blinded their senses.

"What the hell, this is Zabuza's trick," the shark man stated while Sasuke took advantage and finally managed to escape his elder brother's grip by quickly stabbing his hand with a kunai. "Not bad Sasuke I see you've taught your girlfriend a few tricks but these eyes see through everything," Itachi bragged as he activated his sharingan once again. "Haha these brats are so pathetic sorry but my sword can still sense your chakra, you brats are as good as dead," Kisame said and with that the enemy nin attacked the two Leaf genin but before they could get too close they were all encased in soft, moist, and pink structure.

Naruto turned around to see Pervy Sage grinning, "Like my Toad Mouth Trap, don't worry you'll be digested before too long," the sage chuckled a little. "Damn him, we were so close to capturing the jinchuuriki, oh well," Kisame said. "Kisame, come on it's time to escape," Itachi looked behind him and activated his sharingan, "You're not getting away!" Pervy Sage shouted. He put his hands together forcing the toad's stomach to constrict around them in an attempt to immobilize the Akatsuki members but Itachi just shouted,

"**Amaterasu!**" Without warning black flames engulfed the side of the toad's stomach and they managed to escape through the hole Itachi's flames created. "Damn it!" Jiraiya shouted as he dispelled his jutsu and went to examine his apprentice as well as the last Uchiha. Suddenly Ino, Sakura, and Hinata rounded the corner and went check on their boys,

"What the hell happened Naruto-kun!" Sakura shouted but Jiraiya hushed her and walked over to the last of the Uchiha clan, "Are you alright Sasuke?" he asked but the raven haired teen only scowled at him causing the old pervert to frown. 'Damn what's going through that kid's head? Did he really think he could take Itachi by himself?' the sage thought.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, I let him get away and what the hell did that scumbag mean when he said he wanted Naruto?' Sasuke contemplated without saying a word to anyone, 'I need more power! I need more hate! I need the Mangekyou!' he cycled through these thoughts like a tape on repeat. A few moments later Guy showed up and escorted the Uchiha clan back to Leaf and once they were well on their way home he turned to the trio behind him,

"Naruto, explain what happened to Sakura and Hinata later ok, I was able to find some information on Tsunade. She's only a few towns away from here," he said and then handed the blonde some ryo, "Go and rent two rooms one for the girls and one for us, we'll head out in the morning ok," he said and then left the group to go gather more intel as he called it. Naruto and the girls did as instructed and it wasn't long before the trio were sitting in a cheap hotel room while Naruto recalled the day's events to his two loves.

"And that's it really, I have no idea what's going through Sasuke's head right now but the sooner we find the old lady and bring stability back to the Leaf the sooner we can deal with that problem," Naruto finished. Hinata and Sakura nodded in agreement, "Well let's get some sleep then, I'm exhausted," Sakura said while getting to her feet, ready to go to sleep in her's and Hinata's shared room, "Good night Naruto-kun, come on Hinata," she yawned out after kissing his cheek. Hinata mirrored Sakura's action and followed her counterpart to get some rest but the blonde just sat in his bed wondering what the hell was in store for them in the coming months.

* * *

July 12th, 64 AFL

The next day the trio found themselves enjoying a small meal, while Hinata and Sakura took turns eating and looking over the basic fuinjutsu scrolls Pervy Sage had lent them. Without any warning of any kind Sakura suddenly blurted out, "Naruto-kun will you teach us the Rasengan?" she asked causing the blonde to look at her with, of course noodles coming out of his mouth.

As he swallowed he smiled, "Of course Sakura-chan my jutsus are your jutsus after all," he replied happily but asked, "What exactly made you want to learn that though?" Sakura smiled at him, "I want to impress Lady Tsunade and to be honest I really don't have any techniques other than the basic academy stuff and the Shadow Clone Jutsu," she explained.

"I think it's a good idea Naruto-kun since we can use clones to help maintain and stabilize it like you it shouldn't be too difficult and besides we need some help from Master Jiraiya if we're going to understand all of this complicated seal work anyway," Hinata added as she rolled up the scroll she was studying. Naruto grinned grabbed some ryo out of his wallet and threw it to the table,

"Alright Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan let's get training and by the time were done even Sasuke-teme and Ino-teme will be jealous of our strength, believe it!" he said happily unaware that the seeds of jealousy had already been brewing since the day he first took someone's life. Sakura and Hinata got out of their seats and took the blonde's hands,

"Right we're the strongest clan or clans in Leaf, cha!" Sakura threw her free hand in the air while Hinata also smiled, "Yeah let's show everyone what we can really do," the Hyuga princess added and without another word the trio made their way to a secluded location in the woods just outside of town. Unbeknownst to them a vile snake was meeting the princess of slugs trying to form a sick, sadistic, and cruel deal.

They spent the day training but Naruto had to run to town for extra food because sadly the girls had far less chakra then the blonde jinchuuriki and required far more sustenance in order to continue non stop. A few hours later as night approached the sage finally found his godson and his soulmates but was surprised to see that Sakura and Hinata had actually mastered the first step in completing the rasengan using two clones each to speed up the training and accumulate their experiences. He smiled and watched contently for a little while longer but was surprised when the baka thought of something,

"Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, I got an idea come over here I want to see something," he said. The two looked at him confused but nodded nonetheless. What the blonde baka's idea was made Jiraiya go wide eyed and caused the trio to grin happily at each other. Eventually though the sage just smiled warmly again, 'He's just like his parents, goofy and kind like his mom and just as inventive and incredibly talented like Minato,' the old man thought.

"Alright kids I found Tsunade lets go!" the sage shouted capturing the genin's attention which made the kunoichis smile with glee and excitement as they quickly followed the old man. Naruto soon followed close behind simply happy that Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan were so full of joy and excitement. It wasn't an hour later that the trio walked into a restaurant and spotted two women sitting in the corner.

One was a blonde with a diamond on her forehead and the other had jet black hair and was holding what appeared to be a tiny pig. Pervy Sage walked up to the two girls and grinned happily while blushing at the blonde and rubbing the back of his head, "Hey Hime no long time no see, I missed your beautiful face among other things," he said affectionately confirming something for the pinkette of the group.

'I knew it he's just like my baka, that face, those sweet subtle compliments but I wonder why they aren't together,' Sakura wondered. "I don't know, it's possible Lady Tsunade never realized or maybe Master Jiraiya was too scared to admit his true feelings," her inner replied. Both of the cherry blossom's personalities felt great sympathy for the two sannin who had seemingly never realized their love for each other. That was until she heard the elderly woman's reply,

"What the hell do you want Jiraiya! I am not in the mood to deal with you and your annoying bullshit right now!" she growled out while slurring her words. Tsunade was drunk and emotional as all hell from her meeting with Orochimaru as well as what the scumbag had offered her, not to mention the fact that her sensei had been killed by the same bastard less than a week ago. Jiraiya could only sigh, "Shizune can you move over a little so I can talk with Tsunade?" he asked.

The raven haired woman nodded and slid over allowing the sage to take a seat in the booth while his now technically three students stood and watched the adults. Jiraiya sighed again, "Tsunade, I'm sure you've heard but sensei was killed by Orochimaru," he said causing Tsunade to glare, "I know dumbass word gets around, so what he died just like every other damn fool that wants to be Hokage it's not a surprise," she replied angrily.

Naruto got an irritated expression while Sakura was deep in thought meanwhile Hinata's attention was directed at calming the blonde jinchuuriki using the usual petting method. 'She reminds me of us while we were still fan girls. I mean she's treating Master Jiraiya so disrespectfully, sure he's a pervert and a knucklehead but its clear he cares about her deeply. How can she just badmouth him and her sensei like that, damn it he was like a grandfather to us especially Naruto-kun,' Sakura wondered.

Her Inner answered for her, "Because like we used to be she can't appreciate the people that care about her, instead she thinks the world revolves, only around her and by acting selfishly she's alienated herself from the people who truly care about her," her suppressed personality explained. 'Fuck I don't know how much more of this I can watch,' Sakura finalized.

The conversation had gotten to a point where the slug queen was actually laughing in the sage's face, "You want me to be the Fifth Hokage! Now thats a funny fucking joke go away you ugly old pervert and take your brats with you," Tsunade stated. "Hime please just listen," but the sage's words made the blonde finally snap, "Enough you asshole! I don't want to be Hokage, it's a death sentence and a joke of a dream that only causes suffering with not a goddamn thing to show for it!"

Now it was Naruto's turn, "Shut up you old bitch my father and Oji-san gave their lives to protect the village and to protect me, believe it! To be Hokage is my dream and I won't die until I do and even after that I plan to live for a good long time so you can go screw yourself grandma!" Naruto barked. The old woman looked at the blonde with a scowl but then just burst out in an even greater fit of laughter,

"Wow kid I'm seen some pathetic shinobi before but you definitely take the cake however if you call me grandma again, I'll throw you threw that wall," she said while pointing toward the adjacent side of the restaurant. "Screw you even if they're gone their spirits live on in me and I will be Hokage someday, **Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" he shouted. Two clones appeared and the trio put their hands together forming the Fourth Hokage's signature jutsu the Rasengan.

"This technique was left behind for me so I could pick up where he failed and I refuse to let all of the people that believe in me down so I don't give a crap about anything you have to say to me," he replied sternly. "What the fuck are you thinking you dumb old pervert, teaching this kid a jutsu like that, actually making him think he can become Hokage! What the fuck is wrong with you?" She shouted out angrily at her teammate but before he could reply she felt someone's small hand slap hard against her face,

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Sakura screeched, "I can't believe I looked up to you but you're nothing more than bitter, pathetic, old bitch who doesn't care or believe in anyone other than themselves," the pinkette continued as the other members of the group looked at her shock. The cherry blossom who was consumed in a mix of varying emotions ranging from anger to disappointment ignored their looks as she bellowed on,

"Look Naru-kun isn't the smartest or even the strongest but he loves his friends and the village with all of his heart. He was able to defeat a bijuu by himself just so he could protect Hinata and me as well as the village from harm. He has proven his love for the Leaf and as far as I'm concerned he's a hundred times more worthy than you!" Sakura finished and started making her way out of the restaurant but turned around one last time,

"I really did look up to you, I thought maybe you would be willing to teach me and I was so excited to be able to learn some medical ninjutsu in order to protect the people I love but now… now I'm disgusted with myself for looking up to you and it makes me sick to think of how similar we are at least when comes to our teammates." "What the hell are you talking about brat?" Tsunade asked finally regaining her composure after being slapped across the face by an exploding cherry blossom.

Sakura huffed, "I see the way Master Jiraiya looks at you and it's the exact same way my baka looks at me and Hinata. I admit it took me a while to notice but I shudder to think what would have happened if I had ignored like you still continue to do," were Sakura's final words as she exited the restaurant. Hinata looked at Naruto who nodded and she followed her counterpart quickly to make sure she was ok while the blonde genin scowled at the old lady.

"You were Sakura-chan's hero you know that, she wanted to learn everything you had to teach, such a shame and disappointment you turned out to be," the son of the Fourth stated solemnly but as he turned to leave, "Wait kid, I'll make you and that pink haired brat a deal." Naruto turned around, "She is not a pink haired brat her name is Sakura, the other girl is named Hinata, and my name is Naruto!" he shouted.

"Fine if Sakura and Hinata can master the Rasengan in a week I'll give you my necklace. It was a gift from my grandfather the First Hokage and I'll even apologize to your girlfriends and teach them some basic medical ninjutsu," she said without warning and an unreadable look on her face. "Why?" Naruto inquired, annoyed as all hell at this point causing the old lady to smirk,

"Because if you fail you're going to give me everything the three of you own and that includes ninja tools, all of your ryo and yes even the clothes on your backs," Tsunade grinned evilly, 'That should be more than enough to clear my debt,' she thought.

"If you'll really apologize to Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan then we have a deal," Naruto replied and went to shake her hand, "Wait!" Sakura shouted as she ran over to the group still distraught but had managed to compose herself as Hinata walked slowly behind her,

"You also have to admit that Naruto-kun is worthy of becoming Hokage!" the cherry blossom demanded. Tsunade smirked at the girl, 'She really believes and cares for this kid if she's willing to go this far,' the slug sannin thought. "Deal!" she replied shaking the trio's hands one by one. Tsunade laughed at the group as they left the restaurant and were forced to camp just outside of town. The boys were in one tent and the kunoichi in the other since there was no way in hell they could afford two hotel rooms for a full week straight.

* * *

July 20th, 64 AFL

It was the last day of training for the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio as they worked on completing the Fourth's jutsu. Naruto did well instructing the kunoichi, the Shadow Clone Jutsu helping tremendously with their progress. They were already mastering the final step but the two girls were struggling to produce and exert such an immense amount of chakra.

Unbeknownst to them they were being watched by an extremely curious slug sannin who genuinely felt terrible for treating these kids so poorly when she was drunk as a skunk. What surprised her the most though wasn't the progress the kunoichi had made but instead the uneasy feeling of how similar they were to people she had known and loved.

"Kushina's son is like a perfect mix of her and Minato but what's so much weirder is how much he reminds me of not just Dan and Nowaki but grandfather and that old pervert as well,' she thought as she looked at the blonde trying his best at being a sensei. 'Then there's Sakura, she's just like me even down to her abilities and temper but she's even more like Kushina,' she contemplated while turning her head to the Hyuga in their trio,  
'And finally Hinata, she reminds me of Minato as well and she is definitely just like her mother but at least that's not to crazy. Still though it's almost creepy how similar they are to us it's like looking at the past for Kami's sake!'

The blonde was interrupted from her train of thought when her old teammate walked up to her and handed her a cup of sake while wearing that damn look she could never figure out. Still though she wasn't going to refuse a free drink, "Thank you Jiraiya," she said in a much nicer tone than she had used upon their reunion. The sage chuckled a little as he poured himself a cup,

"So you're interested in Naruto and his girlfriends," he replied happily. Tsunade smirked but refused to give him any gratification, "Not really just can't wait to see three embarrassed genin run back home in nothing more than their underwear," she laughed out and then poured herself another drink. Even with her harsh words and tone Jiraiya knew how Tsunade really felt and just smiled and nodded.

The two old friends got reacquainted as the genin trained but after they finally succumbed from exhaustion Tsunade smirked, "Looks like I win but I'll give them until tomorrow morning. Come on let's move this party somewhere else," she said dragging the partially drunk sage to his feet. The old man looked at his godson and two soulmates who were all cuddling underneath a tree, smiles on their faces and decided it was best to leave them be.

"Alright hime, come on let's go!" he shouted while running toward the town and dragging his teammate by her hand. 'Some things never change, isn't that right you old perv,' she thought half drunk but still thought it nonetheless and did her best to suppress a small giggle but the toad sannin caught it. Without looking back to her he grinned,

'I'm really surprised I haven't been punched yet maybe she's finally coming around,' he wondered hopefully. The two old friends made their way to the same restaurant they had just a week prior and ordered some food and of course more sake. Unfortunately for Pervy Sage his date just kept getting drunker and drunker until she finally started taking cheap shots at the old man.

It got to a point where even the sage started reaching his limits and the booze definitely wasn't helping his patience. His head hurt like hell and he felt like he could pass out any second but when Tsunade said, "And to think you actually had a crush on me you old pervert you know I was always far to beautiful and to smart to be with an ugly dumbass like you," she laughed out in drunken stupor.

The sage snapped, without warning he grabbed her right hand and used his incredible speed to quickly tie a piece of paper to it, "What are you doing you pervert," she chuckled out unaware of his intentions. The man whipped out a scroll using his other hand while he used the other to keep a soft but firm grip on the sannin, "Seriously what are you doing you idiot let me go," she screeched as she tried to pull her hand out his but he wasn't relenting.

She scowled at him while the sage lifted his head to meet her eyes with only an innocent smile, "Testing a theory, **Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**" "You bastard why wou…" Without warning Tsunade's chakra was drained from her body, forming a colored orb before immediately entering the same man's body who had performed The Soul Seal Jutsu. Jiraiya relived the long journey his team had gone through under Sarutobi sensei as well as their many adventures off and on the battlefield and even the fight with Hanzo of the Salamander but this time they were through Tsunade's eyes.

Through those memories he was finally able to confirm what he had known all along, that the slug queen cared for him deeply. The worst was yet to come however when he had to relive the deaths of both Nawoki and Dan finally fully comprehending what it was like to lose a person who they truly loved and how badly it had hurt her. Finally Jiraiya found himself back in the restaurant as he opened his eyes and examined his first crush.

He almost cried finally truly understanding her pain and the fact that she only kept him at a distance because she believed herself to be cursed. That the people around her and especially the people that she loved would only suffer and die from her presence. She was so broken and he wanted to comfort her so badly but something else in his head made his arms extend.

Suddenly a combined orb of the two sannin's chakra ejected out of his body and immediately entered the now unconscious slug queen. The old pervert passed out at once and thanks to Tsunade drugging his drink he wouldn't be waking up for a good while.

Meanwhile Tsunade like Jiraiya before experienced their adventures but from his point of view instead finally understanding just how deeply the sage cared about her. Even if he peaked on woman and wrote those disgusting books she saw how he had never even kissed a woman. Yes he sat with them and drank with them but he never touched one even when they came on to him. He would tell them,

"No I'm sorry but I'm in love with someone else and that's never going to change even if she never returns my feelings. I will love Tsunade Senju until the day I die," was his unknown vow to her. Tsunade with the broken state she was already in was too broken to fight. No that wasn't right she didn't want to fight. She truly did care for Jiraiya and it was time to repay him and give him a real chance she finalized.

With that the seals on her right hand finally set and she opened her eyes with actually the smallest blush on her face but when she looked at her apparent soulmate he was passed snoring away like a passed out drunk. Tsunade could only sigh but then teared up a little remembering what would transpire tomorrow. She shook her head clearing her thoughts and found her resolve,

'I promise Jiraiya after we kill Orochimaru I'll come back to Leaf with you but I still don't know about being Hokage,' looking at the seals on her hand her anger started to return, "Really since you don't belong to a clan I have to have a fucking toad sealed onto my right hand overlaying the senju symbol," she barked out starting to scowl again until her thought process was interrupted by her student Shizune entering the restaurant.

"How did your date with Master Jiraiya go Lady Tsunade,' the raven haired woman teased. Tsunade scowl turned to her but it quickly evolved into an evil grin as she spotted the jutsu formula on the table and a few pieces of the same paper she had around her wrist sticking out of her teammates pocket. As Shizune continued to chuckle her glee turned to horror as Tsunade grabbed her right hand,

"Lady Tsunade what are you thinking please release me you're drunk," Shizune practically begged. The slug sannin's inebriated evil grin only intensified, "Sorry but if I'm going down you're coming with me, **Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**"

Within seconds an orb of Shizune's chakra shot of her body and headed straight out of the restaurant causing the now exhausted medical nin to scowl, "I will never forgive you if he's a pervert like Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade." While the slug sannin laughed, now in much better mood than before unbeknownst to them Shizune's chakra headed straight for the Leaf Village. It entered Konoha's hospital going through walls and doors undeterred until it slowed approaching a very exhausted Leaf jonin.

The silver haired leader of Team 7 had wonderful dreams that night of a beautiful woman who had a pet pig and was an incredible medical nin who almost rivaled her master Lady Tsunade. Kakashi suddenly awoke with a fright extending his hands and releasing a combined orb of his and Shizune's chakra but unfortunately for him he quickly passed out way too exhausted from suffering the effects of Itachi's sharingan and having to go through the Soul Seal Jutsu.

Around twenty minutes later Shizune saw the incredibly handsome and powerful copy nin but after her seals were set she quickly gave Tsunade her best right hook, "Damn it I like him but he is a total perv, Kami damn it!" Tsunade snickered, "Come on I'm sure you'll meet your new boyfriend in person soon enough.

Now go get some rest I'll take care of Jiraiya-kun," she said not catching herself. Shizune's eyes widened at that but the mental images she soon received made her obey her sensei's orders and without another word she returned to her hotel room before she could see or hear anything she didn't want to. Tsunade grinned,

"Good that should keep her out of my hair and now we wait until tomorrow." The slug queen threw Jiraiya over her shoulder and took him back to her hotel room throwing him on the couch while she went to sleep in her bed hoping against hope that her plan to kill the bastard that had murdered her sensei would succeed.

* * *

July 21st, 64 AFL

Early the next morning Tsunade Senju stood in front of one of her old teammates while scowling at him, "I told you that the Reanimation Jutsu requires two sacrifices! Why did you only bring Jiraiya?" the snake questioned. Tsunade looked at him with utter disgust,

"Sorry but I wasn't going to sacrifice a child, now if you're done questioning me I can heal your arms," she replied and held her hands out patiently waiting for him. Orochimaru was suspicious but he needed his arms and she was the only one who could possibly do that so in turn he offered them to her. Tsunade attempted to execute her plan but the snake's apprentice caught her true intentions,

"Lord Orochimaru-sama that's not healing chakra she means to kill you!" Kabuto rushed in and was able to catch the female sannin off guard slicing the front of her hand. Blood spilled from Tsunade's wound causing her to shriek in fear as the two sound nin backed away, "You bitch Tsunade now I'm going to kill you," the leader of the sound stated angrily.

Tsunade ignored his threat as she collapsed to the ground hugging herself tightly and hyperventilating at an unnatural pace. "Are you serious a medical nin with haemophobia," Kabuto said in disbelief that quickly turned to anger, "Lord Orochimaru please allow me to kill this disgrace to the medical field." The snake grinned,

"Have fun Kabuto," was his reply but as the gray haired teen went to finish the sannin his medical scalpel he was stopped by a man that was glaring at him with a killer intent that almost made him defecate. "If you even touch Tsunade-hime, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death. That is a promise!" Jiraiya declared but still weakened severely.

Kabuto looked at the sage quickly recovering from his look of rage and went to slice his throat but before he could he felt two sharp kicks send him into the air. He looked down and recognized Hinata and Sakura had sent him sky high causing him to scowl, "You little girls don't know your place!"

"And neither do you, now this for Sasuke, Ino, and Karin you bastard, **Rasengan!**" Naruto shouted as he slammed his jutsu into Kabuto's sternum but unfortunately for him the sound nin was quickly replaced by a log. Kabuto appeared next to the snake uninjured and before any of them could make a move that all heard the snake shout,

"**Five Pronged Seal!**" Orochimaru had somehow made his way behind Naruto and as the blonde turned he was struck by Orochimaru's sealing jutsu cutting him off from the fox's chakra and totally screwing over his own. He fell to the ground but as the snake went for the kill his face was suddenly smashed forcing him to fly through the air until he landed with a thud.

"Don't you ever touch my ninja's you scum!" the blonde sanin wailed finally overcoming her fear. The snake and his apprentice scowled at her but Tsunade stood her ground, "I've made my choice. I am Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju as well as! She looked to her palm and sighed, "As well as the wife of Jiraiya the Toad Sage of the sannin," making everyone gasp in shock and even a few were a bit grossed out to say the least.

"As well as the Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" she finished with pride causing the leaf genin to share a smile. "Shut up you old hag, Lord Orochimaru and I will kill you for betraying our trust!" Kabuto screeched and then charged the elderly woman but when he got to close he failed to notice two girls doing their best to form an unknown jutsu.

Sakura held her right palm parallel to the ground while her left hand spiraled around it while Hinata used both of her hands to help Sakura maintain, control and even added a little of her own chakra to complete and stabilize the jutsu. Tsunade knew what they were doing and when Kabuto got to close she jumped away and let the kunoichi handle the sound nin.

"Where are you going you hag?" the sound nin yelled, "You really should pay attention," Tsunade replied while pointing right in front of him. "What are yo…" Before he could finish his sentence he felt an intense and terrible pain coming from his stomach and looked directly forward. His eyes met emerald as he heard the pinkette screech,

"**Combination Ninjutsu - Uzumaki-Namikaze Rasengan!**" Kabuto's top layer of flesh was peeled off as he flew through the air landing by his master. He desperately tried to treat his wounds, "Kabuto get up here now, and take my blood!" the snake screamed. Even injured the sound nin obeyed without question taking a small amount of blood from the sannin's mutilated arms and flew through several familiar hand signs,** Summoning Jutsu!**" he shouted and with a giant poof the smoke the boss of all snakes stood in front of the leaf shinobi.

Tsunade snickered and Jiraiya grinned before sharing a smile, "**Summoning Jutsu!**" they both screamed summoning their own creatures Gamabunta and Katsuya. The snake sannin scowled, "We're retreating let's go Manda, Kabuto," he ordered realizing he had no chance of victory. As the snake left the battle with the protection of his summons the two remaining sannin let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

Sharing another warm smile they turned to the three genin who were busy arguing about how badly Naruto-kun was hurt. "Don't worry I'll remove the seal that the snake put on him in a little while but hime don't you have something to say," the sage said causing the trio to look at the two sannin fondly. Tsunade sighed before going up the trio and nearly crushing them with her overwhelming strength,

"I'm sorry ok all three of you are worthy of becoming Hokage and I promise when we get home and get settled I'll start training any one of you who wants to learn my medical jutsus," she finished as she released the genin who immediately fell over completely out of breath from the soon to be Fifth Hokage's embrace.

"Oh I almost forgot this is yours now," she tossed her prized heirloom at the blonde who caught it and gave the woman a foxy grin in return. She then grabbed the sage's hand shocking him for a moment causing the woman to sigh a little but she started leading nonetheless,

"Let's go brats, we need to find Shizune and then head back to the village," she ordered like she was already Hokage. Meanwhile Shizune was currently still in bed sleeping soundly and oddly enough hugging Naruto's Kakashi doll with a warm smile. How she got her hands on it, not even she knew.

* * *

July 23rd, 64 AFL

Two days later the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio led the slug sannin to the Leaf's hospital. Once inside they quickly checked on Sasuke who they had heard had been confined to a hospital bed since their encounter with Itachi. It took less than ten minutes before Tsunade managed to heal the Uchiha's injured hand completely as well as treat any lingering side effects from Itachi's genjutsu.

When he awoke the first thing he saw was that damn dobe smiling at him happily but before he had a chance to scowl and say that he didn't need his help his face was buried into the chest of his soulmate, "Sasuke-kun I'm so glad you're finally all healed," Ino said through tears. The trio along with Tsunade shared a smile before exiting their room to give the Uchiha clan its privacy as well as to check on the bushy browed genin who was still injured beyond recovery.

Meanwhile a raven haired medic was treating her own patient and as the gray haired jonin awoke he saw the girl who had been in his dreams for the last few days. He blinked a few times using his good eye and then looked to his palm before turning to the woman, "Yo," was all he said. "Hi," Shizune replied nervously wondering what the hell else she should say to the man she was just meeting for the first time.

As the two attempted a small conversation Lady Tsunade and the the genin entered Lee's room but after looking over his chart she told the Uzumaki-Namikazes to leave the room. She then turned to Gai while the trio listened intently from the other side of the hospital door, "I'm sorry but there's only a fifty percent chance he'll even survive the operation. I'll do my best to try to increase the odds of success but I can't make you two any promises yet," she told the pair leaving them in tears as she exited the room passing the trio without a word.

Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata were all worried about Lee but had faith the master medical nin would find a way. Later that night they shared a dinner at Naruto's apartment before the blonde passed out on his couch and the girls looked at each other before heading to the jinchuuriki's bedroom and taking his mattress for themselves.

Meanwhile Sasuke and Ino were celebrating his birthday with a light meal and even a small chocolate cake but it was Sasuke's gift to Ino that was the most shocking. Without warning he pulled out a small box and handed it to the Yamanaka making her go wide eyed. She opened it up slowly to reveal a gold band with a black opal gemstone at its center and a smaller ruby and sapphire gem on either side of that. Ino looked at the ring and then went back to Sasuke unable to form words as she shed tears of joy and disbelief.

The Uchiha simply raised his hand as if to silence her, "That ring is meant to be worn by the matriarch of the Uchiha clan, don't thank me, I was only returning what already belonged to you," he said simply while keeping his eyes locked on his dinner. She smiled warmly at him and using her hand she cupped his face and forced him to look at her but he did not fight,

"Thank you Sasuke-kun," and just as quickly rushed in meeting his lips for the first time. Sasuke was in shock at first but he didn't push her away nor did he exactly return the chaste kiss but it would be a lie if he said he didn't enjoy the intimate moment they shared.

Unbeknownst to them four sound ninja were approaching the village and would do anything within their power to ensure Sasuke's recruitment to their side. At the exact same time Lady Tsunade was able to increase the odds of Lee's survival to fifty-eight percent and was more than satisfied that he would indeed survive the operation that would allow him to continue his dream of being a shinobi.

* * *

July 24th, 64 AFL

Early the next morning Lady Tsunade was officially inducted as the Fifth Hokage and it wasn't two hours later that three leaf genin found themselves in front of the old lady. The slug sannin smiled warmly at them,

"Fu, you were able to pass the first two exams by yourself as well as defeated a jonin and even made it all the way to the semi finals. For these accomplishments you are awarded the rank of chunin," she said as she handed the green vest to the grinning blue haired girl.

"Shikamaru Nara, you're honestly quite a lazy brat but you always put your comrades first and even co-lead a six man squad in the forest of death as well as proved your willingness to sacrifice anything for the people you treasure and it is for those reasons you are awarded the rank of chunin." Shikamaru sighed, "What a drag but I accept," he replied while he slipped on his new vest. The sanin then turned to the last member of the group with her biggest smile yet,

"Naruto Uzumaki, you demonstrated bravery and foresight when you proclaimed that your friends would make it all the way and they did. You protected your teammate Sakura Haruno while you two were alone in the forest of death and then defeated your first opponent in the preliminaries with ease. Then you went on to not only defeat the prodigy of the Hyuga clan Neji Hyuga but lead a squad to help save Sasuke Uchiha and even defeated the one-tails jinchuuriki by yourself in order to protect your loved ones.

Our own personal adventure aside there is no doubt in my mind that you are worthy of the rank of chunin, congratulations Naruto Uzumaki!" she proclaimed and handed him the third and final vest. The blonde looked at his fellow chunin before bursting out loudly,

"I did it! I'm a chunin now, believe it!" he cried to the heavens and within the next hour the majority of the Leaf Village knew as he continued to celebrate his success. The Uzumaki-Namikaze heir had made a crucial step in fulfilling his dream but even though today was one of the best days of his short life, little did he know this was only the calm before the storm.

* * *

**AN: That chapter was fun don't really have much to say about it though**

**Yeah I made Tsunade really mean but she will never act that way again just wanted to have as much drama as possible with the group and she did feel bad after she sobered up**

**Yes the Hyuga clan want to place the birdcage seal on Hinata really because of her lose to Neji and they've already decided Hanabi was the better choice but also because she's bonded to the nine-tailed brat but surprisingly her father Hisahi is doing his best to prevent that and yes he asked Pervy Sage to take Hinata with him. Hisahi was annoyed at first when she was bonded to Naruto but he's seen how much she's grown and really couldn't be more grateful or happy that it was Naruto at this point add the bonus of knocking some sense into Neji and he practically loves him **

**Yeah Jiraiya snapped the booze and whatever drug Tsunade slipped him on top of her insults was just to much and he was only trying to prove her wrong and Tsunade was so drunkily evil she even dragged poor Shizune down with her lol**

**Yeah KakaShizu and JiraTsuna are both bonded, I wasn't going to make Kakashi suffer unfortunately Rin is dead and now that I revealed JiraTsuna I will confirm every NaruSaku based ship is a thing and it really really sucks to be Obito **

**Yes they named their combined Rasengan attack usually Naruto provides most of the chakra while the girls only add a little and usually just maintain and help control it but the girls can do it by themselves if need be and I wanted them but especially Sakura to shine here so she was the one to actually used their combined rasengan**

**Even canon Sakura believed in Naruto's dream or at least wanted it to come true even to the point where she forgot about Sasuke and would of possibly screwed herself and her dream over if she raised her hand before Naruto went off during the chunin exams first test. So just imagine this Sakura who supports and wants that dream fulfilled more than anything not just for Naruto but for their entire family unit so you can imagine how crappy it was to meet Tsunade and have her talk like that to them and if you're wondering how she knew about Tsunade if Tenten knew then I think the girl who already has an interest in medical herbs would of heard of her and don't forget she was the smartest because she studied her ass off so she would know pretty much everything about the sannin and their adventures even if she didn't recognize Jiraiya at first**

**Tsunade healed Neji off page and he is completly fine they were clean and easy breaks that even Shizune could heal fully so he will be at the Sasuke retrieval mission.**

**I don't want to hear complaining if I decide to start next gen with JiraTsuna or KakaShizu the oldest man in our world got a girl pregnant at 94 look it up and the oldest woman got pregnant naturally at 64 so they have very little to worry about as far as I'm concerned being the biggest pervert and the best medical nin and just so you know they are in their early fiftys**

**I did not cover to much of Sasuke and I did that symbolically to foreshadow his departure but his mental state is starting to break down and Naruto being promoted and not him will likely be the final straw Ino is helping the best she can and at this point is the only one he will talk to without malice**

**I hope I provided good enough reason for the promotions and even if the majority of the council are assholes the parents of Naruto's friends at least are beginning to like him and given his accomplishments and they have no credible reason to hold him back.**

**As always thank you all and I really do hope you all enjoyed and see you next time!**


	16. Defection of the Uchiha

**Chapter 16: Defection of the Uchiha**

* * *

July 24th, 64 AFL

It was just a few hours after Naruto Uzumaki's promotion to chunin that the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio found themselves entering the Uchiha's personal hospital room, "Sasuke, Ino, guess what, I made chunin believe it!" Naruto said with a grin, "Yeah it's crazy but our cute little knucklehead really did it. Sasuke, isn't it great, it's only a matter of time before we're all promoted, believe it," Sakura added.

Once the two made their announcement Ino went wide-eyed, 'How the hell did Naruto-baka get promoted before Sasuke-kun and what the hell are they thinking coming here and bragging at his expense,' the platinum blonde thought in worry. Truthfully the pair were not exactly bragging, well maybe Naruto a little but he wanted to impress his friend too. Unfortunately Sasuke was far from happy, in fact he was down right pissed,

'That bastard, first he steals my opponent and then my promotion, I'll fucking kill him,' the raven haired teen thought as he got to his feet, gently pushing Ino out of the way as he stared menacingly at Naruto looking directly into the baka's eyes. Sakura and Hinata shuddered a little and looked at each other, then back to Naruto-kun who was wearing an unreadable look, clearly the boys were having some sort of silent conversation with their eyes that only they could understand.

"Um Sasuke, are you alright?" Hinata asked with concern but Sasuke's gaze never shifted from his rival, "Roof, five minutes and we'll see if you're actually worthy to wear that stupid thing," Sasuke proclaimed as he pointed to Naruto's new chunin vest. Naruto's face remained unreadable as he replied with, "Fine, we've put this off for long enough teme!" he declared loudly and then headed to the hospital roof, Sakura and Hinata close behind attempting to talk him out of the fight that was about to happen.

Sasuke got his gear on and once he was ready, turned around and was quickly enveloped in a hug, "Sasuke-kun, kick the dobe's ass but please don't kill him. I don't know if I can bear hurting Sakura like that and don't forget that you are not Itachi. You'll find your own way remember, I know you will," Ino explained and then looked deep into Sasuke's onyx eyes. Sasuke was scowling at first but when he saw her tears threatening to fall, he was reduced to a small sigh, "I wasn't planning it Ino-chan, like you said I just want to put the dobe in his place. Now come one they're expecting us," he said and then immediately walked out of the room. After recovering from the shock of chan honorific Ino quickly made her way after the unstable Uchiha wondering whether he meant to say Ino-chan or if it just slipped out.

It wasn't a few minutes later when Naruto and Sasuke found themselves facing each other on the hospital's roof, both boys scowling at the other while their soulmates sat on the side watching contently. Sakura and Hinata tried talking to the bossy blonde next to them but surprisingly enough her lips were sealed as she stared intently at the two boys. Eventually though Naruto's scowl shifted into a foxy grin,

"You know Sasuke it's crazy, no matter how many spars we've had in the past you've always defeated me but I think todays going to be different, believe it!" Sasuke's scowl only intensified, "Dobe do you really think you're going to win, you won't even land a scratch on my forehead," he said in anger and then pointed to his face which was clearly lacking his a headband. Now it was Naruto's turn for anger but he composed himself remembering that acting irrationally was no way a chunin should behave,

"You know how disrespectful it is not to wear your headband, especially when you're sparing with a shinobi who outranks you," Naruto replied and only tied his headband tighter. "Shut up you weak, pathetic demon!" Sasuke screeched in anger making the blonde go wide eyed in shock that was quickly replaced by rage, "What the hell did you just say Sasuke?" Sasuke's scowl refused to leave his face,

"I know damn well what you are, a monster and a freak. It wasn't your power that made you a chunin it was that damn fox that's sealed inside of you. Don't think you can brag about using a power that's not even yours!" Naruto sunk his head while Sakura and Hinata looked at Sasuke in shock unable to form words, "Fine be that way Sasuke," was the blonde jinchuuriki's reply.

Without warning the boys charged each other using their taijutsu, Naruto hoped to understand his friend through their fist but the only thing he could sense was Sasuke's jealousy and rage. Finally the two backed away and Sasuke screamed, "**Fire Style - Dragon Flame Jutsu!**" The Uchiha erupted a large concentrated blast of fire toward the Uzumaki as the blonde thought,

'Crap I don't know if this will work but it's worth a shot.' Naruto ran through hand signs at a remarkable pace and just before Sasuke's flames reached the boy he sucked in the air around him and shouted, "**Wind Style - Air Bullet!**" The boys jutsus met the other causing a loud explosion at the center of the roof, the blonde's wind magnifying Sasuke's fire.

Eventually the flames died down and the Uchiha growled out, "So you copied that other monster's jutsu, you're lucky you had an affinity to wind otherwise you would be a barbecue right now but let's see how you handle this!" Sasuke backed away to the otherside of the arena and all of the roof's inhabitants looked at him in shock with the exception of the blonde shinobi staring him down.

Naruto backed away as well creating two clones and before anyone could blink their jutsus were ready. "**Chidori!**" "**Rasengan!**" they two boys shouted as they charged the other. It was like they were in a trance but before their attacks met they heard Sakura scream, "Please stop!" They looked over and saw Ino and Hinata holding her back and then looked to their hands finally realizing the foolishness of attacking with such lethal force but it was far too late to stop.

Sasuke and Naruto tried to pull back and before their attacks could connect they were grabbed by their sensei and thrown to opposite corners of the roof. "What the hell is wrong with you two!? Were you really trying to kill each other in front of them no less," Kakashi said as he pointed to Sakura, Hinata, and Ino all of whom had varying expression but most noticeably for Naruto, tears running down Sakura and Hinata's cheeks,

"I'm sorry sensei, I let my emotions cloud my judgment." Naruto got to his feet and walked over to his soulmates, "I'm so sorry for making you two cry," he said but Sakura and Hinata only embraced him in a tight hug. "It's ok Naruto-kun, Sasuke was acting strange so you're not the only one at fault," Hinata replied. "She's right Naru-kun but please I really care about both of you and I don't know what I'd do without you guys. You're both my teammates and even though I know you're my true love I love Sasuke like a brother so please try not to scare me like that again, please," Sakura almost begged.

Naruto petted the crying pinkette, his hand running down her back getting lost in her long cherry blossom locks in an effort to calm her down, "I'll try Sakura-chan, I promise, I feel the same way, he's my brother too after all, you know," he replied. She looked at him and smiled her tears finally stopping, "Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled as well,

"Naruto-kun I think Sakura needs you a bit more right now then I do so I'm going to go take care of a few things," she said without much warning. The Uzumakis looked at her in confusion but she waved them off, "It's fine, like I said I have a couple of things I need to take care of and Sakura needs some one on one Naru-kun time," Hinata giggled and then left the rooftop using the door and proceeded to the hospital's lower levels.

Naruto and Sakura turned to the Uchiha clan and saw that Ino had vanished as well while Kakashi sensei was leading Sasuke over the rooftops for an unknown reason. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and they shared a kiss before leaving the rooftop themselves wondering what the hell was wrong with Sasuke but pushing those thoughts to the back of their minds, deciding to spend the day celebrating Naruto's promotion.

As the Uzumakis went off to enjoy the day Sasuke Uchiha was stuck being lectured by Kakashi, "What were you thinking Sasuke? Did you really want to kill Naruto? Did you not listen when I told you about my teammates or when I told you what the Chidori is used for?" The jonin questioned but Sasuke only replied with his usual scowl,

"You don't know what it feels like to have your entire family butchered before your eyes, to be forced to acknowledge that a loser like the dobe is stronger than me because he was lucky enough to be born with overwhelming power. In fact you don't know anything about me!" Sasuke screeched causing the gray haired jonin to sigh,

"Look Sasuke, I lost my father, then my teammates but we have both been blessed by having people in our lives that truly love us. I'm begging you Sasuke, let it go and focus on being happy, please. You don't realize it yet but every decision that you make affects the people that care about you and by following this path you're only causing them to suffer," Kakashi tried to explain,

"Just think about it ok," he finished and then disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Sasuke looked down solemnly reflecting on Kakashi's words while Ino hid behind a tree but as she got ready to come up and comfort him she stopped seeing four unknown nin surround the last Uchiha. She noticed they had sound headbands which frightened her at first but she listened contently to every word they had to say to her Sasuke-kun.

"It's time Sasuke Uchiha, Lord Orochimaru is ready for you and as promised you will have Karin Uzumaki handed over to you as well as guarantee the safety of your teammates and your other girlfriend," one of the nin explained. "That's right Sasuke if you want to control that power...," another nin pointed to the curse mark on Sasuke's neck, "...and have the training and skills needed to kill Itachi meet us outside the village gates tonight.

Oh and if you're thinking about trying to betray us our Lord promised he would come and ensure the death of all of you. After all he did kill the Third Hokage and I'm sure the Fifth would fall just as easily." Were the sound nin's last words to the Uchiha before they departed and left Sasuke to his thoughts. Ino looked on in worry but chose to leave him be for now in order for him to make his own decision.

It wasn't an hour later when Hinata made her way into Neji's room with Tsunade close behind. Neji looked at his cousin with a look she had not seen on him before, "I'm so sorry Hinata, I was... so wrong," was all he said before turning his head away. Hinata and the Hokage smiled at the Hyuga before Hinata walked up to her cousin and forced him to face her,

"It's ok Neji, I brought someone here to heal your legs," she said with kindness. Neji only nodded and Tsunade started her examination, "Clean brakes you're lucky I'm here these would have taken months to heal naturally, now let me see here." The sannin began her legendary medical jutsu and after just fifteen minutes she wiped the sweat off of her forehead and smiled,

"Well you're healed and you can leave, you'll be cleared for missions by tomorrow so be ready we need every active shinobi that we can get at the moment. Now I have to go get ready for Lee's operation so if you two don't need me anymore I'll leave you alone." Tsunade said, "Thank you Lady Tsunade," Hinata replied quickly but the Hokage just waved her hand and left the room leaving the two Hyuga's alone.

"I'll walk you home Neji or at least as far as I can," Hinata said with a smile. Neji nodded and got to his feet and was surprised to feel that his legs felt better than before. He then decided, "Actually Hinata I think I'm going to wait and see how Lee's surgery goes," Neji explained again with a look Hinata hadn't seen from him before. Hinata simply smiled again, "Alright I have another errand to run anyway so I guess I will see you later then cousin," she said happily and then left Neji alone in his hospital room to gather his thoughts.

* * *

Late that night it was foggy and looked like it might rain but Naruto and Sakura were sharing a bowl of ramen nonetheless, culminating their celebration with their favorite meal, completely unaware of what they were about to lose. Sasuke Uchiha was slowly making his way to the gates outside of the village but was surprised when he saw a girl he knew all too well was waiting for him,

"Are you ready?" she said in the bossiest and most irritated voice he had ever heard the platinum blonde produce. Sasuke looked at her with an unreadable look at first that quickly evolved into anger, "What the fuck do you mean there's no way you're coming with me!" Sasuke barked out. His demand was met by a forceful kick to the groin by the platinum blonde causing him to fall to his knees.

He looked up using his usual scowl and their eyes met, "You don't understand, I don't want you getting anywhere that freak. I don't want you to have to abandon your friends and family just for me, that's why you have to stay," the last Uchiha tried to explain but that was met by a backhand feeling the ring he had given her just a few days before scratch his cheek,

"Look at me Sasuke!" Ino yelled and for the first time he looked at her with his jaw wide open, "I am Ino Uchiha! Uchiha!" she screeched in his face. "I am not an emotional train wreck like Sakura, I was trained in a shinobi clan just like you and can control my emotions. I'm not going to cry and beg you to stay and you know that. I've made my choice and found my resolve and I'm going with you whether you like it or not," she stated and then finally released his collar.

"Oh and one more thing I'm wearing my god damn cloak!" she said and then spun around allowing Sasuke to see the purple cloak, like his it had no designs but centered on her back was the Uchiha symbol displayed proudly on her back. She reached down to grab his hand and help him up, "So stop wasting time and let's go already befo…" She never got to finish her sentence as she was tackled to the ground by Sasuke but before she could do anything she felt his lips pressed tightly against hers.

He had kissed her and in that kiss he poured all of his affection, care, and appreciation. As quickly as it happened the moment ended and Sasuke got to his feet before helping Ino, "You're right, I guess I almost forgot how much I need you in my life," he said. Ino blushed, "Of course did, dumb ass," she teased but before they were outside the gates another presence reveled itself.

"Ino, Sasuke, where are you going?" The pair turned around quickly and were surprised to find Hinata Hyuga standing there with her Byakugan active. The Uchiha were dumbfounded at first until the Hyuga princess started, "You know I've been watching Naruto-kun for a long time and if I know anything it's that there are only two people in the world that matter to him as much as me," she said and then pointed directly at Sasuke,

"And one of them is you!" "Hinata please just listen," Ino started but Hinata directed her anger filled gaze at the blonde instead making her stop, "And you Ino, you're Sakura's best friend, you share a bond with her that I may never even know and can only ever dream of having," the hyuga princess sighed before finishing, "And I know you two are only probably only doing this in order to save Karin but…"

Hinata looked up to face them once again, "But I know even if I was trapped and being tortured that I would never ask Naruto or Sakura to risk their lives or even worse betray the village and everyone else they love!" she finished. Ino and Sasuke looked at each other and Hinata tried to take advantage quickly trying to use her Hyuga taijutsu to block the Uchiha's chakra points unfortunately for her Sasuke was able to dodge using his sharingan.

Hinata decided to at least try Ino but when she made contact she dissolved into water, 'Crap, water clone,' Hinata realized. Suddenly Sasuke hit her with a kick sending her backward and before she could counter Ino was behind her, "I'm sorry Hinata," was all the blonde said before hitting her with a strike of her own. Hinata coughed up a little blood but got to her feet,

"I'm not done," but before she could blink Sasuke was behind her, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too Hinata," was all she heard before she lost consciousness, Sasuke quickly chopping her neck and knocking her out. The Uchiha laid her on the nearby bench and then the pair made their way out of the Leaf as fast as their legs could carry them. It was only a short while later when the Uchihas found themselves before the sound four and after a short argument Sasuke readied himself for the final steps in unlocking the full potential of his heaven curse mark.

* * *

July 25th, 64 AFL

It was early the next morning when Hinata awoke to the sound of Naruto and Sakura's voices, "Hinata-chan, where have you been? Why are you out here? Why weren't you at Sakura's house last night, we got really worried, believe it!" Naruto explained. Last night's events flowed through the girl's mind and then quickly looked at the pair of Uzumakis standing before her nervously before saying,

"We have to get Lady Hokage now!" Naruto looked at her in worry but nodded nonetheless and it wasn't long before the trio found themselves standing in front of the Hokage. Hinata quickly informed them of the Uchiha's defection and two teams were assembled to go after the pair. At the village gates stood Team Uzumaki which consisted of Naruto, Sakura, Hinata and Neji as well as Team Nara whose members were Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Akamaru.

"Do you think we could use anyone else Shikamaru? I mean my team does have an extra person," Naruto questioned his fellow chunin knowing full well Shikamaru would have the best strategy. The Nara heir was just as shaken as Naruto and Sakura by the defection of his teammate, Ino was his oldest friend after all and losing her was devastating to both Choji and himself. Although he was upset the chunin was able to clear his mind to the best of his ability.

"No, we've already wasted enough time so I'll make this quick. Ino and Sasuke are our teammates and our friends. I'll go through hell and back to save them. That is the way of our Village and our way of the shinobi," he finished. "Couldn't have said better myself Shika, now let's get moving! Sasuke, Ino, we're coming to save you, believe it!" the blonde chunin declared and Team Uzumaki quickly vanished into the trees, Team Nara following close behind,

"Neji, Hinata, take turns scouting ahead with your Byakugan," Naruto ordered, "Right!" they echoed. "Kiba, you and Akamaru use your noses and try to pick up Ino's scent," Shikamaru ordered as he handed the dog boy one of Ino's kunai that he had gotten from her parents before starting their mission. Kiba replied with a nod and It wasn't long before Kiba found her scent and Neji spotted something.

The teams made their descent into a field but they were quickly trapped inside of an priosn made of solid earth that was slowly draining their chakra, "Stupid Leaf ninja you'll never get out of here," the sound nin known as Jirobo taunted. "That's what you think," Shikamaru," replied, "Yeah it's not very smart to underestimate us, we have two of the strongest members of the Hyuga clan in here after all, believe it," Naruto added.

Jirobo went to retort but Choji suddenly screamed, "**Human Boulder!**" Before his very eyes his prison was shattered and Choji was standing proudly, "Don't worry, I'll handle this guy, Go on and save Ino and Sasuke," he said with a fire in his eyes that the others hadn't seen before. Naruto and Shikamaru nodded and left Choji to do battle but before getting too far ahead they stopped at a tree. The leaf nin all left the Akimichi a kind message before heading off once again and it wasn't long before they met up with another sound nin.

"Neji can you handle this one?" Naruto asked the same boy he had defeated and crushed just a month prior. "Don't worry I've got this one, you just focus on protecting Hinata and saving Sasuke and Ino." Neji replied and got ready for battle against the sound nin known as Kidomaru. "Be careful Neji," Hinata said with concern as she continued forward with her friend in order to catch up with the remaining nin.

Like before it didn't take long but when Shikamaru asked Kiba to take Sakon he simply shook his head. Shikamaru wanted to argue but Kiba whispered something in his ear that caused the Nara to sigh, "Seriously, what a drag, fine I'll deal with this guy, Kiba you're under Naruto's command now." The Inuzuka simply nodded with a grin, "Thanks Shikamaru, I owe you one. Come on let's go Naruto."

"Hey I'm the chunin remember, now come on dog boy and try to keep up," Naruto said and with that their two teams had been reduced to only one, the blonde jinchuuriki, Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba. They finally reached the final sound nin but as they went to retrieve the container that Sasuke was in, he suddenly emerged his chakra flaring higher than ever before. Ino helped him to his feet and the pair looked at their friends before bolting full sprint toward the sanke's hideout.

"Kiba this is your fight right?" Naruto asked causing the Inuzuka to smirk, "Believe me I wish it wasn't but someone gotta knock some sense into this girl and who better than me," he grinned while the sound nin only scowled. "Alright, Hinata, Sakura let's move!" The blonde ordered and with that the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio left their friend to his desperate battle.

They were catching up slowly but Sasuke and Ino were fast and as they reached an open field they spotted Kimimaro. Without saying a word they ran past the man and reentered the trees, just a few miles short of their destination. Naruto and his soulmates landed in front of the sound nin but before the blonde could engage,

"Naruto-kun, this one's mine," Hinata turned to Naruto and Sakura with a solemn expression, "Sasuke and Ino are your best friends, you two are the only ones that have a chance to get through to them," the Hyuga princess elaborated. "Thank you Hinata," Sakura said and gave her counterpart hug before Naruto embraced her in one of his own,

"Be careful my sweet moonlight and I promise we're all coming back together, believe it." He quickly pulled Hinata into a deep kiss before separating and the Uzumakis went off to face their closest friends and greatest rivals alone.

* * *

Meanwhile Choji Akimichi had delivered several brutal blows to his opponent caused by the increase in strength that his clan's food pills provided. As he threw his opponent to the ground he laced himself with kunai and used his Human Boulder Jutsu to try and finish his opponent. Jirobo used a mud wall in attempt to stop him but Choji broke right through,

"You're not going to stop me! I know Naruto and Sakura are going to save Ino and Sasuke and I won't let you get in their way!" The Akimichi cried while striking the sound nin with his Spiky Human Boulder Jutsu. Jirobo was forced to use his curse mark finally escaping the Akimichi's attack and knocking him back. Choji huffed and used his second food pill, with that the battle began once again, "I'll kill you fat ass!" The sound nin screeched as he threw Choji to the air but that was a mistake,

"**Super Expansion Jutsu!**" The Akimichi grew to a size rivaling the chief toad and tried catching the Sound nin forcing him to push his curse mark to its second stage. Unbelievably the transformed nin was able to hold Choji up and eventually threw him to the ground when his jutsu dispersed. Choji knew he had no choice, 'Ino, Sasuke and everyone else this is for you!' He took the last food pill before the sound nin landed a devastating blow and the effects immediately showed,

"How?" Jirobo gasped in shock that this fat ass had blocked his brutal punch with just one hand. Blue chakra wings were swirling behind the Akimichi heir and the fat on his body had all but vanished, "Because I'd do anything to protect my friends and now thanks to the chili pepper pill ill I'm 100x stronger!" Choji shouted while landing his own brutal blow to Jirobo's solar plexus. The force was so strong that his fist went through the nin's body with little resistance ending his life instantly.

The Akimichi sighed as he watched his opponent fall to the ground and even though he knew his own life would soon end soon tried his best to catch up to his teammates. He stopped however when he saw something carved into the side of a tree. He examined it closely and what he saw brought him to tears, all of his friends had left him a message the cherry blossom of Team 7 for example,

"Catch up quick and do your best, cha!" and the Byakugan princess from Team 8 adding, "We know you can win so hurry up but be careful." After the Akimichi heir read the last message he fell to the ground in tears of joy but slowly shifted into a state of unconsciousness.

Around the same time Neji Hyuga was busy dodging the spiderwebs that were flying from Kidomaru's mouth eventually though the Hyuga was pinned to a tree, "Die, **Ninja Art - Spider Sticky Gold!**" He shouted, a gold colored substance erupted from the boys mouth but Neji was able to escape the sound nins attack. The Hyuga got in close, 'In order to repay Naruto and Hinata for opening my eyes,' he thought as he found himself in perfect striking distance,

"I will defeat you, **Eight Trigrams - Sixteen Palms, Thirty-two Palms, Sixty-four Palms!**" Unfortunately for Neji the sound nin with six arms used his Spider Sticky Gold as armor blocking his strikes. Kidomaru used his first stage curse mark and shaped his sticky gold into kunai and launched the various objects but Neji's defence blocked them without fail.

Kidomaru sped up his assault adding other weapons with his kunai trying to take the genin down but Neji speed increased as well displaying his mastery of his clan's taijutsu styles. He managed to increase his sixty-four palms up to one hundred and twenty-eight palms but eventually blow after blow hit the genin in the back forcing him to the ground. When Kidomaru went to end the battle by dropping a giant spider on the genin but Neji got to his feet and managed to slay the insect. The sound nin snickered and took his curse mark to its second stage.

The now transformed sound nin used his sticky gold to form a bow and arrow taking aim and firing at Neji. The hyuga managed to avoid fatal blows taking them to the arm and shoulder instead. The sound nin thought about it for a moment before realizing Neji's Byakugan had a weak spot and moved to the perfect position. He fired the deadly shot using his chakra and aiming for a fatal blow but Neji managed to redirect the attack away from his vital organs.

The attack still pierced his body though but it gave Neji the opening he needed as he grabbed the arrow and redirected his chakra through the golden substance that led right back to his opponents mouth. Once the chakra reached the transformed sound nin he started falling to the ground in pain while Neji ripped the sticky gold from his body and ran toward the sound nin,

'I can not and will not lose!' he thought as he got in close, "**Eight Trigrams - Sixteen Palms, Thirty-two Palms, Sixty-four Palms!**" He shouted sending the sound nin to the ground motionless. Neji stood proudly, "I did it now it's up to the rest of you," where the Hyuga's last words as he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Shikamaru stared down his opponent, 'What a drag, well at least I'm not fighting a girl this time,' he thought as he examined his surroundings as well as his opponent. "What's wrong aren't you going to attack me," Sakon said, "Yeah are you scared of us," Ukon added. Shikamaru snickered, "No I'm just lazy as hell," he added a yawn for emphasis, "I just prefer my opponents to come to me."

"Fine!" The brothers echoed as they charged the chunin but he quickly put his hands together, "**Shadow Possession Jutsu!**, well that was easy now play along," he said while he used his hands to grab several kunai from his pouch and the brothers who were still in one body mirrored the action. Finally Shikamaru threw the kunai directly in front of his opponents but the Nara's had one huge difference, at the end of his kunai where paper bombs and before the sound nin could scowl they exploded forcing the nin out of view.

Shikamaru turned around unharmed having released his jutsu at the last second and went to return to his comrades but unfortunately for him the brothers were still alive showing off their first stage curse mark. Shikamaru tried to counter but they were too fast and they grabbed him using all four of their hands, "What is this? What are you planning?" he asked the sound nin. The brothers laughed coldly,

"We're combining your body with ours, it's quite an unique jutsu but in just a few moments there won't be a trace of you left," Sakon explained. "Yeah that's troublesome but what if I do this," the chunin started as he grabbed another kunai and lunged it into his body. "Are you insane you're willing to die just to kill us," Sakon asked. Shikmaru snickered, "Thanks for the info now I know this will be worth it," he reared his kunai again for another blow.

"No!" Ukon screamed and together the two brothers exited the Nara's body and he stopped his attack a few inches short of its target. The two looked at the Leaf chunin with disdain and transformed into their second state, now holding nothing back. Shikamaru prepared to defend himself but then he heard a voice he knew shout, "**Wind Scythe Jutsu!**"

The brothers were blown against the side of the small valley while the sand kunoichi landed right in front of the pony tailed chunin. She looked back to him and simply said, "Don't think I came here to save you little boy I just got the troublesome task of being your backup." Shikamaru sighed,

"So I can assume your village is done attacking mine then Temari." She turned to face the sound nin who were slowly getting to their feet, "That was a mission just like this dumb ass, now stand back I'll finish them myself." The sand kunoichi said as she pulled out her fan and bit her thumb drawing blood. She quickly wiped the red substance on the blades of her fan and as she reared it she shouted,

"**Summoning Blade Dance Jutsu!**" Suddenly a weasel with white fur carrying a sickle appeared in a puff of smoke and shot straight for the enemy. Before the brothers could move they were cut down leaving them in far more parts then when the battle started. Temari looked back to Shikamaru wearing a smirk while the young chunin had on a look of fear that quickly shifted into annoyance,

"How troublesome, you should have gotten here from the start. Then at least I could have slept through this mission." he said. Temari snickered, "Come on let's go find the rest of your comrades and make sure their ok little boy." A vein appeared on Shikamaru's forehead but he only huffed and followed the sand kunoichi deciding it best to check on Neji and Choji first.

While his comrades batted the other enemy nin Kiba Inuzuka was busy staring down the only female member of the sound four. The pair said nothing at first but when Tayuya went to grab her flute it was suddenly pulled out her grip by an all too familiar canine, "Damn you Akamaru!" She screeched managing to get a hold of the pup and taking her flute back while sending her enemy to the ground.

Akamaru got up quickly enough and rejoined his master on a branch, "It's alright Akamaru you tried and now we know she knows who we are at least," Kiba elaborated. Tayuya said nothing instead she summoned her trio of Doki and began her deadly melody. Her warriors went in hard but Kiba and Akamaru were able to dodge her barrages albeit with difficulty using their speed in conjunction with Fang Over Fang and forcing the red haired sound nin to use her curse mark.

Tayuya's monsters increased in speed and strength, and slowly but surely the genin and canine pair were being worn down, "Tayuya enough! We don't have to fight each other! I know what the snake freak did to you and your friends. Please let's stop this and talk," Kiba barked out. "What do you think you know mut! Please I've seen the cosy life you and you're pathetic comrades lead. You can't imagine the horrible shit we've been through!"

Tayuya replied in anger while Kiba and his closest friend continued to avoid her attacks, 'Damn him, Kiba and his dog are so fast, I'll have to rely on my genjutsu,' she thought when Kiba finally replied. "Tayuya please, maybe we can help you and your friends but we have to stop this now before they all kill each other!"

Tayuya didn't respond instead she hid behind a tree and pushed her curse mark to its second stage and began her powerful genjutsu. Unfortunately for her Kiba foresaw this desperate attack coming and took necessary precautions before the battle had even begun, "Akamaru hide, I don't want to take the chance of her going after you first," Kiba said. His partner nodded and hid in the bushes behind the trees and just as he vanished from view Kiba seemed to be caught in the sound nin's spell and Tayuya appeared in front of him.

"Sorry Kiba it looks like you lose," she grabbed a kunai from the Inuzuka's own weapon pouch and reared it back, "For what it's worth, I am sorry," she went for the kill but was stopped by Kiba grabbing her hand with his own claw like fingers keeping her weapon in place while using his other to grab her flute shattering it with his intense grip. "How!?" She asked in shock causing Kiba to snicker,

"I knew you're jutsus were all based on sound and I knew your flute was controlling your Doki as well as your genjutsu. After all I saw your memories remember," he grinned proudly. "That doesn't explain why you didn't fall under my genjutsu!" Tayuya replied in aggravation. Kiba scratched his head with the hand that had shattered her flute and put his ear facing toward her,

"Sorry I can't really hear you," he explained. The sound kunoichi saw at once that the Inuzuka was wearing plugs in his ears blocking all outside noise from entering his senses. Kiba faced her again, "I knew I might have to fight you one day, although I never thought it would be like this. Regardless I've been preparing for this since the day I first saw you," he explained. "Then how the hell where you talking to me before, damn it the fucking mut," Tayuya said as she scowled at her opponent.

"Yes, Akamaru was acting as a communicator between us. Even if I can't hear him I still know him well enough to know what he's saying just by his mannerisms." Kiba sighed and then continued, "I wish the circumstances could have been better but hopefully after we bring you back to the Leaf we can talk it out," the Inuzuka finished calmly. "Screw you, you're not taking me alive!" Tayuya screamed.

Kiba released his grip and she backed away but before she could reach another branch she fell into what appeared to her be a wooden coffin. "Hehe looks like you fell into my puppet," Kankuro said happily and then looked to Kiba, "I take it you don't want me to kill this one." Kiba sighed, "No, at the very least she may have information on Orochimaru and maybe her friends will surrender if they see we captured her and she's at our mercy."

"Alright, Alright, let's go and find the others then," Kankuro replied. "Just let me grab Akamaru and we'll be on our way," Kiba went and picked up his pooch who was now sleeping peacefully in his arms. With that the boys made their way through the trees the sound kunoichi trapped in Kankuro's puppet too weak to escape and wondering what the hell was going to happen now. While she cried out profanities and insults toward the leaf and sand genin Kiba sighed and petted the sleeping pup in his arms, 'I hope the others are having better luck than I am," were the Inuzuka's thoughts as he sped through the trees.

* * *

At the same time Hinata Hyuga was doing her best to battle the leader of sound four Kimimaro, 'He's using his bones as weapons what a disturbing ability,' Hinata thought as she dodged another strike from the sound nin's bone sword. She tried to block his chakra points but when she stuck it felt like her hands had suffered more damage, "I'm sorry but I can use the bones in my body in a very unique way making my entire body a shield."

Hinata backed away and shouted, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" she summoned two clones and together they tried to charge in but they were quickly slashed apart and Hinata was forced back again, 'I have no choice my only option left is the Rasengan but I've never been able to perform it alone and if I fail I'll be too weak to dodge his attacks," the Hyuga heiress thought. Kimimaro looked at her with a solemn expression,

"I honestly don't want to kill you but I have my orders from Lord Orochimaru so I'm sorry but prepare to die," the sound nin said as he pulled out another sword from his body. 'Crap,' "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" she and her clones put thier hands together but the sound nin was coming too fast. Hinata closed her eyes and braced for the attack but it never came and she heard a familiar voice shout, "**Leaf Hurricane!**"

Hinata opened her eyes again and standing before her was the bushy browed genin she knew all too well. Lee looked to her and gave his classic nice guy poise, "Don't worry Hinata-san we'll defeat him together!" Hinata rose to her feet and stood beside her comrade, "Are you sure you're ok Lee, you only got out of surgery yesterday," she said worry evident in her tone. Lee grinned just increased even more, "Of course and now I will prove just how splendid of a ninja I truly am!" he proclaimed with fire in his eyes.

Hinata sighed but eventually smiled, "Alright Lee lets do this," she stated with a new sense of confidence but as their battle resumed, just a few miles away, in the Valley of the End another confrontation was about to begin. On one side of the valley stood the statue of Hashirama Senju the First Hokage and upon his head stood Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and Sakura Haruno Uzumaki. On the opposite side Sasuke Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka Uchiha both sat calmly on the head of one of the most powerful members of their clan in shinobi history, Madara Uchiha.

* * *

**AN: First things first I'm sorry this chapter's a bit shorter than the previous ones but it was either this or make the chapter ridiculously long and rushing through the most important fights of this arc which is something I don't want to do so the extra time is needed, please understand. **

**My reviewers: Everyone should Read! If you actually read the AN lol**

**Gunner - Like always glad to hear enjoyed and thank you**

**Mike - I assume your "nice" means you enjoyed lol and thank you**

**Acronym - I actually always planned on having Ino leave with Sasuke from the very beginning at that's why I said it would have been a nightmare to have Sakura with Sasuke really because having Sakura leave derails the plot to such an insane extent that it would fall into complete chaos. Also Ino is a much bossier and tends to get her way and will not put up with all of Sasuke's crap if she says she's going she's going deal with it lol.**

**Also you've given me some ideas for Sasuke, Ino, and Itachi that should be fun to write out but I don't intend to for Itachi and her too be intimate. I did establish that Ino also felt the same love toward Itachi that Sasuke did in chapter 3 so you'll all just have to wait and see. I like Suikarin myself as well actually and love SasuIno but that is biased to an extent on my part because I really didn't get into it until I started writing them together myself, lol.**

**However everyone needs to remember that Karin has had such a derailed past in this continuity already being found by the snake much earlier than in cannon. She we'll not be a fan girl but she we'll be strongly attached to Sasuke because he stopped her entire lifetime of torture by the snake just by coming there a boy she didn't even know was real until she sees him for the first time in person. With three years together fan girl Karin will be gone but she will be more submissive basically Sasuke's version of Hinata if you will just more likely to let him get away while Ino will tell his ass off lol.**

**However she will still be witty and funny and I promise there will be a at least a couple scenes between suigetsu and Karin and I will laugh my ass off when Karin punches him for being an assshole but it don't faze him and then Sasuke's just hits him with Chidori senbon either for simple jealousy or for insulting Karin. No one's development we'll disappear please don't think that and thank you for your review.**

**King of Konoha - You're absolutely right Naruto and Sasuke haven't really gotten stronger physically yet because I honestly wanted to focus on their mental development during part 1 especially and I'm sorry if I didn't communicate that very well but I gave Naruto a piece of Sakura brain lol and Hinata's calm demeanor to make him more of an even mix between Minato and Kushina rather than being dominated by Kushina traits like he was in part 1. **

**Having Sakura means she forces him to study and really think and learn while being with Naruto makes her focus on her earthly qualities you know, Heaven and Earth. I figured I would just power him up with extra abilities during the time skip and I've hinted on what he's going to picking up don't want to spoil and the main thing that held Naruto back from being a chunin in my opinion was he was just to immature mentally he did not qualify even with his defeat of Gaara this version of him isn't lol. **

**As for Sasuke just really wanted him to appear more human and open up a little. I gave him more than just one reason to abandon the village so he could be a bit more relateable and wanted him to be more than obviously good and redeemable. **

**General AN - Yes I healed Neji and he was ready to go considering how bad Lee was injured and still made his way to the battle even after his surgery and I'm sorry the Neji and Choji fights are the same but I couldn't just skip them because both characters need to shine and their skills really haven't changed much so I can't just give them a bunch of new techniques hell Neji was in the hospital until yesterday. However their motivations are slightly different and it should be interesting to see how Ino's defection affects Team 10 in general **

**I hoped you like the Shikamaru battle and then Temari just coming in and saving his ass we'll have them interact more before the end of part 1 so we can get a sense on how they will develop through the time skip**

**Yeah Kiba and Tayuya mentioned their was another soulmate in Otogakure and she was it, enjoyed writing their fight even though I made Kiba a bit OOC but I think it fit well here and like every other ship this was been planned since the beginning and he's definitely going to have a hard time getting through to her, will have another scene with them before the time skip**

**Next time we will see the fights between Lee, Hinata, and eventually Gaara vs. Kimimaro as well as Sakura and Ino's rematch as well as Naruto and Sasuke's battle with all the wrap up afterward as well as the departure and I've changed my mind once again we are going all the way until the end of Naruto without splitting this into books mainly because I just decided lol**

**Yeah I added Genkai's line from Yu Yu Hakusho to Kakashi's speech to Sasuke, you know the, "Every decision that you make affects the people that care about you," really love that line and thought it fit well here and of course Sakura still cares about Sasuke deeply that was never going to change but it is a brotherly love in this scenario, no one will ever cheat on their partner just wanted to make that absolutely clear.**

**As always thank you all and I hoped you enjoyed and again sorry I couldn't get the entire arc done in one chapter but I all hope you understand taking my time is better than rushing it and we'll result in a better final product so see you next time and as always hopefully within the next two weeks. **


	17. The End and the Beginning

**Chapter 17: The End and the Beginning**

* * *

July 25th, 64 AFL

Just a few moments before Rock Lee arrived on the scene and the Uzumakis could reach their friends, Ino and Sasuke were running across The Valley of the End, using their chakra to keep above the water's surface. Suddenly Sasuke stopped, right in front of the statue of Madara Uchiha, without looking at her he said,

"Ino, that freak, he… he wants to take over my body. That's what he really wants from me." Ino looked at Sasuke in shock that turned to anger, "So when we get there you're just going to give it to him. That doesn't sound like you Sasuke-kun," she replied knowing he had something in mind. Sasuke started his ascent up the statue with the blonde following close behind,

"You know me too well, the thing is that freak only has so much time before he's forced to take a new vessel," Sasuke explained. "So you want to stall for time by battling Naruto," she replied causing the sharingan user to simply nod and say, "As long as you think you can defeat Sakura that is." The pair reached the top of Madara's head, sat down and Ino said, "I can defeat forehead easily, especially with this much water around us but remember Sasuke-kun." Sasuke actually groaned,

"I know Ino, I would never willingly kill Naruto, why are you so concerned about that anyway." Ino punched his arm, "I just don't want you to do something you'll regret later Sasuke-kun," she replied sweetly and then closed her eyes in order to mentally prepare herself for the coming battle. Sasuke huffed but didn't argue and started to mediate himself and it wasn't a few minutes later when the pair heard two people they knew all too well scream, "Sasuke, Ino!"

Meanwhile Hinata and Lee were coming up with a strategy to defeat the leader of the now devastated Sound Four. "Lee can you keep him busy while I get my jutsu ready?" Hinata asked the bushy browed genin. Lee gave the Hyuga heiress a thumbs up, "Sure Hinata-san I'll take care of it," he replied. Lee went in with his taijutsu while Hinata used her clones to gather chakra attempting to perform the Fourth Hokage's legendary jutsu. Lee landed a punch on the sound nin's face knocking him back but it was clear it did little damage,

"Like I told your friend, my defense is impenetrable," Kimimaro said and without warning he charged Lee full force. The sound nin tried slicing off the boy's head in one go using his bone sword but Lee ducked underneath and landed several brutal blows to Kimimaro's solar plexus. The sound nin was unfazed however and went in for another slice but Lee was able to back away just in time. 'Damn my body still hasn't fully recovered and this is just as annoying as Garaa's sand shield,' the boy in green spandex thought. He dodged attack after attack and finally Lee saw an opening, quickly unwrapping the bandages around his hands and wrapping them around sound nin tightly, "Now you're mine!" Lee kicked Kimimaro in the air several times high into the sky while following close behind. Suddenly he appeared behind the nin while they were still in mid flight,

"Now **Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing, **open!" He shouted when he kicked Kimimaro in the back and sent him to the ground hard. The sound nin braced for impact, activating his curse mark and entering his first stage transformation but before he could recover or even hit the ground his eyes met Hinata's, "**Rasengan!**" Hinata shouted sending a perfect orb of blue condensed chakra right into the sound nin's face blasting him back several feet while still in mid air. Kimimaro landed on the ground while Lee regrouped with his teammate,

"Wow Hinata-san that's a powerful jutsu," he commented, impressed by her skill. Hinata was panting but she still managed to smile, "Thanks Lee, that was the first time I was able to do it without Naruto-kun or Sakura helping me," she replied proudly even though she was exhausted. Lee returned her smile but before they could congratulate each other further they felt an immense chakra coming from their opponent. Lee sighed and downed a bottle Hinata assumed to be his medicine while she scanned her opponent using her Byakugan,

'How did he manage to gather so much chakra so quickly, we had him beat," the Hyuga heiress thought. Before she could form a new strategy her teammate went into danger alone, "Lee what the hell do you think you're doing?!" "Don't worr…y Hina-san I wi...ll defeat him with my… my flames of youth," the bushy browed genin slurred. Hinata looked at him oddily before shouting, "Lee stop, you're drunk," she realized but Lee just continued charging onward. The Byakugan princess closed her eyes but then she heard, "**Leaf Hurricane!**" Lee shouted as he dodged Kimimaro with flexibility Hinata had not seen before, landing a hard kick to the sound nin's head. Hinata looked on confused as all hell,

'What is he? A master of Drunken Fist or something,' she thought as Lee landed another hard blow to Kimimaro's back but the sound nin struck with a blow of his own, slicing Lee and drawing blood by cutting his cheek and right arm. The wounds were merely of the flesh however and Hinata quickly joined her intoxicated teammate on the battlefield but instead of using the normal Hyuga taijutsu style she adapted to a much more flexible form, which she had been developing since the day she had passed the genin exam.

The combination of these flexible fighters had Kimimaro on the ropes but unfortunately for them Lee's medicine wore off and he collapsed to the ground in a state of deep slumber. Kimimaro went for the easy kill but even passed out Lee had the reflexes to dodge his attacks, 'Crap we're screwed,' Hinata thought but before Kimimaro could make any fatal blows, he was suddenly hit by a large blast of what appeared to be sand. Hinata backed away with the passed out Lee in her arms and looked toward the direction the attack had originated from and her jaw hit the ground,

"Ga… Gaara?" Hinata managed to say. The boy with no eyebrows looked at the Hyuga heiress and simply said, "I am here to repay my debt to Naruto Uzumaki as well as apologize to that fool." Gaara pointed to the sleeping Lee in Hinata's arms who by some miracle woke to the sound of the sand nin's voice. Lee got to his feet and chuckled, "Well now, apology accepted as long as you help us defeat that guy," he said as he pointed toward Kimimaro. The son of the former Kazekage nodded, "If you two can distract him for a bit I'll finish him in one attack," he replied simply.

Hinata and Lee nodded and started to engage the sound nin again, not bothering to attack and simply dodging to the best of their ability. At the same time Gaara gathered as much chakra as he possibly could and after a few minutes he actually shouted, "Now!" Hinata and Lee moved away at lightning speed and when Kimimaro looked to his last opponent he screeched, "I will not be defeated! I will protect and serve Lord Orochimaru!" Gaara didn't acknowledge the psychotic man's declaration and simply sent a vast amount of sand, that was created from the very earth itself and launched it full force toward the sound nin,

"And I am Gaara of the Sand!" Kimimaro took Gaara's attack head on and once the blow made impact he found himself on the ground with the jinchuuriki standing right in front of him, "Now, **Sand Burial!**" Without warning Kimimaro was sucked deep underground by the sand forcing him deeper and deeper into the ground. The sound nin tried to break free but the sand was too strong, too vast, and his injuries too brutal. Kimimaro lost his ability to breath and within the next few moments his life had been extinguished.

Hinata and Lee looked at the red haired sand shinobi in shock at his display of power, both injured and exhausted. With the last of her chakra Hinata used her kekkei genkai to make sure the enemy was beaten and with that task done the two leaf genin collapsed to the ground in a state of unconsciousness. Gaara quickly gathered the genin under a pile of sand, one for each of them and quickly headed back to the Leaf Village in order to get the pair some immediate medical attention.

* * *

A few moments before Gaara arrived on the battlefield the Uzumakis found themselves on the head of the statue of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, "This is the Valley of the End Naruto-kun," Sakura said once she got her bearings. "Sakura-chan look, they're over there," Naruto said as he pointed toward the head of Madara Uchiha. "Sasuke, Ino!" The pair screamed across the valley toward their closest friends. Neither replied but Sasuke and Ino did open their eyes. They looked at each other before nodding and Ino slowly made her way downward, toward the vast amount of water at the bottom of the valley. Sakura looked on confused,

"Is she coming back?" she asked while looking toward her baka. Naruto gaze drifted to Ino who was now simply standing on the water with an unreadable look, slowly his eyes moved to Sasuke and saw him wearing the same face as the platinum blonde. He looked back to Sakura and simply shook his head, "They're not coming back unless we beat them to a pulp and drag them back ourselves, I can tell by their expressions Sakura-hime." Sakura looked back to the two Uchiha first in a state of sadness that quickly shifted to annoyance,

"Alright Naruto-kun, I'll take piggy while you handle Sasuke," she said while cracking her knuckles. Naruto smiled and pecked her forehead, "Just be careful my feisty cherry blossom," he said. She smiled, nodded, and quickly made her way down the statue landing on the water herself. Naruto looked on to Sasuke and the two simply scowled at each other, at any moment they knew their battle would begin.

Down on the water surface Sakura walked over to Ino, anger ever apparent on her face. Ino just scowled right back, "You and Naruto just have to but into everything we do, don't you forehead?" Ino said as Sakura stopped just a few feet in front of her, "What the hell do you think you're doing Ino, you know the only thing that freak wants from Sasuke is his body. Don't you understand, Sasuke will be dead and all that will be left is Orochimaru." Ino snickered a little which pissed Sakura off all the more,

"Don't worry forehead we figured all that out but you see the thing is we don't really have a choice," she replied and then suddenly shouted, "**Water Style - Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" Most of the valley was suddenly covered in a dense mist completely surrounding the two kunoichi and making it difficult for Sakura to even see her hands. "Damn it Ino, I thought you wanted to save him, to heal his pain but I guess that was just one big lie huh. Fine, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Sakura shouted causing four clones to appear around her, "Do your best to find the pig,"

"Right," her clones replied and scattered themselves, Sakura pulled a kunai, did her best to relax, and listened for the slightest movement that wasn't caused by one of her clones. 'Damn I can't hear her anywhere that only leaves two options,' the pinkette thought. She quickly looked to the sky but all was clear at least as far as she could tell, "Not there then... below!" Sakura shouted as Ino popped out right below her while forming hand signs,

'Crap I know that jutsu,' "**Water Style - Water Prison Jutsu!**" Ino screeched but luckily for Sakura one of her clones managed to chuck her out of harms way, the clone getting trapped in Ino's jutsu instead, "Fuck you forehead, you have no idea what Sasuke-kuns really been through but how can I expect a clanless dog like you to understand how cruel and sick the shinobi world can truly be," Ino replied, releasing her prison and slicing Sakura's clone with a kunai. Sakura huffed,

"Maybe you're right but you know this isn't the answer, we're friends Ino, help us bring Sasuke home before it's too late." Ino sighed but regained her composure, "What would you do if it was Hinata? What do you think Naruto would do?" Sakura didn't have a reply, she knew exactly what Naruto and her would do, she hated to admit but she realized at once, how easily their roles could have been reversed. "Sakura," Ino said regaining her friend's attention,

"Lets see how you're Shadow Clones due against mine, **Water Style - Water Clone Jutsu!**" Ino manifested three clones from the water they were standing on and they engaged Sakura while the two originals charged in kunai at the ready. Their blades kept parrying the other neither kunoichi showing any sign of weakness as their clones took each other down. The first pair dispersed when their fist met the others face, mirroring the end of their battle during the chunin exams while the second and third pairs tag teamed the other.

The Sakura clone went for a kick but Ino's clone dodged and tried landing a fist but the remaining Sakura clone struck her with a kunai to the spine dispelling her, then Ino's second clone returned the favor stabbing that clone in the back. Ino's last clone went for Sakura's but the pinkette had recovered and as she stood up her kunai met Ino's last clone's heart but unfortunately for Sakura Ino's kunai had found her target as well, deeply lodged in her own aorta. The two clones managed to glare at the other before they dispelled and now only the originals remained on the battlefield.

"Ino come on let's stop this senseless fighting you're my best friend, I… I can't lose you again," Sakura said, shedding a tear but keeping her focus. Ino expression softened but she knew what she had to do, quickly backing away and forming several hand signs, "How many of Zabuza's jutsus did Sasuke teach you!" Sakura said in disbelief, Ino smirked,

"All of them! **Water Style - Water Dragon Jutsu!**" Suddenly Ino formed a dragon, again using the vast amounts of water underneath the two kunoichi. "Shit, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Sakura shouted, creating four more clones and using them as a shield when Ino's dragon made contact. They dispelled one after another until finally the poor cherry blossom was hit by the dragon, however it's power had been weakened by her shield of clones. She got to her feet bruised and huffing while the platinum blonde was breathing heavily herself. Ino chuckled a little while panting,

"Not bad Sakura but can you handle a second dragon, I seriously doubt it." Ino started to gather her last bits of chakra unfortunately for her Sakura beat her to the punch on signs quickly forming two clones and putting their hands on top of the originals helping her gather chakra for a jutsu she had never successfully performed alone. Ino smirked,

"So you do have another jutsu, this should be good, **Water Style - Water Dragon Jutsu!**" Like before a dragon erupted out of the water below but this time Sakura was ready, her jutsu complete, "**Rasengan!**" The cherry blossom shouted sending the ball of blue spiral chakra directly at the dragon. The two jutsus made contact creating a loud explosion but unfortunately for Sakura her jutsu, even though it was rank higher than Ino's paled in comparison to the vast amount of water Ino had at her disposal, eventually overpowering the pinkette's Rasengan.

Ino covered her eyes, shielding her from the explosion caused by their powerful attacks. When she finally opened them again she scanned around the battlefield for a good few minutes before a chill ran down her spine. She quickly looked to the source of the malevolent chakra knowing it's wielder all too well. Her seal started glowing as she spotted her soulmate and she let out a deafening scream, "Sasuke, No!"

* * *

As Sakura and Ino's battle began Naruto and Sasuke stared the other down and then somewhere deep in the woods a leaf hit the ground, within seconds the boys were in the air, kunai in hand, and as they their blades clashed Sasuke's sharingan stared deeply into his opponents blue eyes. "Why are you doing this Sasuke? Why this way damn it?" Naruto asked in concern, trying to understand his best friends actions.

"You don't get it, I'm not like you and Sakura. I don't have any attachments to that weak ass village and I can't get any stronger if I stay there Naruto," Sasuke replied as the two seperated and landed on the water deep in Ino's mist. Naruto knew he was at a disadvantage and shouted, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" his two clones managed to throw him to the side of the cliff landing parallel to the wall just as Sasuke ran his kunai threw the two clones.

He looked up at Naruto and threw several shuriken toward the jinchuuriki but Naruto countered, "**Wind Style - Air Bullet!**" The bullet of wind hit one of the deadly weapons and the force caused the others to veer off course but when Naruto looked toward his opponent he was gone, 'Crap where is he?' the blonde thought. Naruto looked around frantically trying his best to locate the Uchiha. Unfortunately his attempt was in vain when suddenly Sasuke finally showed himself, directly above the blonde baka,

"Dodge this dobe, **Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**"He shouted sending his clans signature jutsu directly at his opponent, 'Crap, I have no choice, fine just one-tail,' the blonde thought as he gathered the fox's chakra but being able to stop the flow at just one tail and maintain complete control, "I'm not sure how much I like the fact that this is getting easier but that doesn't matter right now!" He thought out loud and using his new speed he sliced Sasuke's jutsu with his chakra tail splitting the fireball in two and dispersing the flames.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, "Now I'm angry, I hate using that things power teme!" Sasuke actually began laughing, "I wonder if you'll say the same thing after this," the Uchiha activated the power of his heaven curse mark and transformed into his stage one form, "Now Naruto lets try again!" Naruto and Sasuke engaged in close combat punches and kicks thrown with no sight in end. Every other blow the boys would dodge another would connect, Naruto landing a punch to the ribs and Sasuke landing a kick to the blonde's side.

'Damn that chief toad boss, if I could summon him this wouldn't be a problem but the prick suspended my contract for three months,' the blonde thought in annoyance, and then suddenly Sasuke backed away. Naruto shouted, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" At least a thousand clones appeared and attacked the Uchiha full force, managing to send him high into the air above the valley itself and even the statues, "**1000x Uzumaki Barrage!**" But when Naruto himself went for the final blow he was grabbed by Sasuke who had recovered, his sharingan flarining. He threw Naruto to the woods just above the valley and tied him to the tree with shrunken and metal wires,

"**Fire Style - Dragon Flame Jutsu!**" Fire erupted from the raven haired boy's mouth and followed the wire down to the squirming Uzumaki-Namikaze heir. Finally the flames reached their target but when the boy burned up into nothing Sasuke realized Naruto remains were nothing but the ashes of a log, "Substitution, that's one of Sakura's specialties," the Uchiha said as he turned around to face his teammate who was now fuming with anger and confusion.

"Sasuke you realize that Orochimaru killed Oji-san right, you know the only fucking thing that snake freak wants from you is your body. Are you really willing to throw your life away? How do you think this will make Karin and Ino feel or are you just that determined to gather power until there's nothing left of you?" Naruto asked. Sasuke gaze never faltered, "Yes, I would be lying if I wasn't willing to sacrifice almost anything to kill Itachi and avenge my clan,"

Naruto's scowl intensified but Sasuke continued, "However once I became friends with you and Sakura I realized that there were things more important to me then that goal and I had an epiphany." "What teme?" Sasuke continued looking on emotionlessly as he replied,

"That I would have to sever those bonds in order to be as powerful as I need to be and I'll start by killing you and Sakura..." The Uchiha was sent flying at once, caused by a hard right from Naruto who had unconsciously gathered two-tails worth of demon chakra, summoned forth from the very anger that was coursing through him.

"NEVER, and I mean NEVER threaten Sakura! Kill me if you want too, I don't care but believe me Sasuke you may be like a brother to me but I swear I will kill you to protect my family!" Sasuke got to his feet and chuckled at the irony,

"Maybe I can show you just how I really feel by taking away your so called family, just like mine was!" "Fuck you Sasuke, my parents were killed too but unlike you I'm forced to live with their murder trapped inside of my own body!" Sasuke shook his head, "It's not the same, you can't possibly understand what it's like to lose what I lost when you never even had those bonds to begin with, now prepare yourself, Naruto Namikaze!"

Sasuke jumped over to the statue of Madara Uchiha, while pushing his curse mark to its second state, growing wings, and causing his body to darken considerably. Naruto jumped to the head of Hashirama Senju, created two clones and began gathering chakra while Sasuke prepared the jutsu he had learned from Kakashi. The two boys had their jutsus ready and then without a word they charged each other, "**Chidori!**""**Rasengan!**"

They screamed and their jutsus collided but when Naruto managed to get some leeway Sasuke screamed, "I will not lose to you Naruto! Just give up and die!" The Uchiha screamed, suddenly the son of the Fourth felt a cold, cruel, and malevolent chakra that he had only felt once before. Sasuke's chakra spiked to a level that would make most chunin scream in fright. Naruto's Rasengan was quickly overpowered and the blonde barely managed to dodge the lightning based attack but not without injury suffering a deep gash to his side.

Naruto coughed up some blood but managed to shout, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" He created another thousand clones and backed away trying to draw upon more of Kurama's chakra but for some reason his connection to the fox was being blocked. "What the hell?" He examined his hands and noticed his seals were both glowing brightly, flashing colors at an intense rate, 'Are these seals blocking my connection to the nine-tails and that other thing inside me? Sasuke, do you have something inside of you two, just what… What the hell are we?'

Before Naruto could think on the matter further he saw Sasuke cut down his final clone and braced for what would probably be his final few moments of life. Meanwhile Sasuke's mind and soul had been completely consumed in darkness, only a small speck of the kind hearted boy remained behind the Uchiha's now dead and emotionless eyes, 'Don't kill him, only injure him!' Sasuke's soul pleaded but the personality in control had other ideas as he cut down the clones, keeping his Chidori at full power while he shouted and laughed sadistically,

"Die, Die, Die, Die!" Sasuke's body repeated over and over again. Suddenly he saw a light in the darkness, that was blue in color and reached out for it. Grabbing hold of the light he heard Ino's voice, "Sasuke, No!" 'Ino,' Sasuke replied as he felt his strength gathering, he pushed with all his will to overwhelm the darkness around him that had been manifested by the unknown presence, Orochimaru's curse mark, as well as his own misery and hatred but it just wasn't enough.

However Sasuke's distress had more of an effect than he realized, although his chakra and will weren't strong enough to directly influence his body, it did inadvertently affect his senses without the unknown presence noticing a thing. Sasuke's body finally reached the original Naruto and before the blonde could do a thing Sasuke spoke, "Now my so called brother, for my power, you will die," Sasuke said in a deep, gruff, unnatural voice.

He lifted his left hand into the air and his Chidori turned a pure black before he lunged straight into Naruto's heart. Sasuke's body laughed sadistically as he felt a transformation take place in his eyes but it wasn't the Mangekyou awakening. His normally red eyes and black tomoes inverted in color, his eyes mutating and evolving into a new form of sharingan from the various chakras coursing through the boy's body as well as his own pain and misery that would take the Uchiha years to truly understand.

Meanwhile the true Sasuke broke down in pain and misery, truly believing with all of his heart and mind that he had killed his closest friend. It wasn't too soon after this moment that the platinum blonde was behind Sasuke, wrapping her arms around him, "Sasuke-kun come back to me please!" She begged, whatever was consuming Sasuke's mind released its hold and the normal Sasuke returned in a state of tears,

"Ino… I… I didn't mean to actually…" "SHH! Look first dumb ass," Sasuke turned his head to the spot where he had killed his best friend but to his shock there was no body in sight. "How?" He asked her confused. Ino thought for a moment, "Sakura must have placed you under a genjutsu at the last second then saved and escaped with Naruto," she explained and then looked directly into Sasuke's eyes,

"Sasuke your… your eyes?" Ino said in shock but Sasuke covered her mouth and even looked around with his normal sharingan, "Not a word," he whispered into her ear. She nodded and he finally broke down in her arms, "Thank Kami, Thank Kami, I didn't kill him," Sasuke said. "It's ok Sasuke-kun but we need to figure out what's going on with you," Ino replied as she petted his raven haired locks. After a few minutes the Uchiha thanked her and got to his feet,

"Alright Ino, let's go," he said simply, Ino nodded and with that the two made their final approach to the Orochimaru's lair. Meanwhile Sakura was carrying an injured and unconscious Naruto in her arms as she walked through the forest on her way back to the Leaf. The poor pinkette was shedding tears at the loss of their friends but she finally came to a resolution as she looked at her baka's face,

"I promise you Naruto-kun, we'll train hard and we'll get our friends back one day, that's a promise." Sakura said, causing the blonde to open his eyes and look directly into Sakura's, "I promise to save them and bring them back, we'll do it together, with Hinata and all our friends helping us. It's a promise of a lifetime Sakura-hime, believe it," He replied softly and leaned up to kiss the cherry blossom. She smiled and bent her head to meet him but unfortunately exhaustion claimed them both, falling to the ground,

Sakura collapsed on top of the blonde in a state of slumber, Naruto following soon after. Fortunately for them Kakashi and Pakun arrived just a few minutes later and sighed realizing how terribly he had failed Team 7. He carried the Uzumakis home on his shoulders vowing to train and get stronger as well to be a better sensei. Meanwhile the Uchihas had finally made their way into the snake's lair,

"Sasuke-kun I see you've finally arrived and with Ino-chan as well," Orochimaru said with a sadistic smile. Sasuke actually snickered at the state of the sannin, "Seems I took a little too much time getting here, huh Orochimaru," the Uchiha replied. The snake and Kabuto scowled at the Uchiha before Ino butted in, "There another reason we're here, now where is Karin?" The snake scowl turned to her but he replied, "Her room is through that door at the end of the hall. As for you Sasuke-kun I expect you to honor our agreement in three years' time."

Sasuke didn't reply at first and walked over to the room the snake had pointed out, peeking inside to see if she was really there and then turning back to the sannin, "Our agreement stands as long as you train me to become strong enough to kill Itachi." He fully opened the door and motioned for Ino to walk inside first. She complied and Sasuke started to make his way in but turned around to address the snake one last time,

"You will train Karin and Ino without torturing them and if you dishonor our agreement or even think about giving them this fucking mark," Sasuke pointed to his neck and then is sharingan, "I'll gouge these eyes out, myself." He replied and then entered the room closing the door behind him. When Sasuke walked in he looked around the large room, it was lit poorly and the walls and floors were painted a dark red.

In the center of the room was a large bed and sleeping peacefully in center was the red haired girl Sasuke had only ever seen once before. He noticed Ino standing in the corner, she smiled at him before motioning him toward the sleeping girl. Sasuke nodded and walked over, sitting on the side of the bed he shook her shoulder, "Karin, Karin wake up," he said in a soft voice, that Ino had only ever heard him use with her. Karin eventually rolled over and punched her alarm clock for daring to interrupt her dream,

"Shut up, I'm sleeping, idiot." She said, causing Sasuke to actually laugh and Karin's eyes to shoot wide open. She blinked at the onyx eyes staring at her and she closed her jaw, opened it and closed it again before spitting out, "Sasuke-kun, you're… you're real, you actually came. I thought Orochimaru was just lying to me but it's really you isn't." She said in tears and then collapsed into the Uchiha's chest, "Shh, it's ok Karin, he'll never hurt you like that again. In fact no one will ever hurt or abuse you again, I promise,"

Sasuke said as he held her tightly and let the redhead sob into his chest. Ino looked at the pair fondly before walking up to the bed herself and sitting by the pair, "Hi Karin my name is Ino," she said in a normal tone. Karin looked at her and asked, "Who are you, I mean why are you here?" Ino smiled, "Well I came with Sasuke-kun to save you, we're a family after all and family sticks together," she said matter of factly. Karin turned to Sasuke as she said,

"Family?" Sasuke simply nodded and then Karin embraced the pair in another overbearing hug, crying her eyes out once again, "I finally have a real family again," she said. Ino and Sasuke actually shared a smile and then continued to comfort the poor redhead until she finally cried herself to sleep. At the exact same time, several miles away Kiba Inuzuka was exiting the IT building, on his way to the hospital to check on his comrade.

It was during this short walk that he ran into his teammate Shino Aburame and his soulmate Fu, "Hey what's up guys?" The Inuzuka asked, wearing a half hearted grin. Shino put his hand on his friend's shoulder and said simply, "Don't lose hope my friend, why? Because you're not the only whose partner was an enemy at one time," he said simply. Fu smiled herself and added, "Shino-kun is right you know, so just show her you care by visiting every once in a while." Kiba nodded and forced a small grin before leaving the Aburame pair behind, hoping against hope that they were right.

Meanwhile Shikamaru Nara was sitting with Temari of the Sand outside of the room where Choji was undergoing intense medical treatment, "Stop pouting and grow a spine." The sand kunoichi said, causing Shikamaru to scowl, "Don't give me that bullshit Temari, I'm already losing one teammate and I have no idea about the other one." Temari scowled right back, "We're ninja little boy, do you not understand that people can get seriously hurt or even die on missions." Shikamaru stood right in her face,

"I was his team leader, it was my job to make sure Choji came back safe and to retrieve Ino and Sasuke," he explained loudly. Temari looked deep into his eyes as she replied, "Then do better next time, prove that you earned that vest and you're worthy of becoming chunin and bring your friend back." The sand nin did something uncharacteristic for her and actually wrapped the boy in a hug but this short act of passion was quickly interrupted when two people entered the room.

A few minutes before Kakashi Hatake made his way into the hospital, Naruto and Sakura slung over both of his shoulders. "So they failed," Shizune said sadly causing the jonin to look at the raven haired woman with a frown, "It looks that way, Naruto and Sakura were defeated by Ino and Sasuke and they succeeded in escaping." Shizune sighed but walked over to the man and said simply,

"Look it's not your fault, I read Sasuke's file. He was pretty messed before you even became his sensei," Shizune replied, trying to comfort the man with over a thousand jutsu, "Now I'll take care of Sakura, hand her over." Kakashi complied and handed Sakura over to Shizune who headed toward the closest empty hospital room in order to treat the poor cherry blossoms injuries. Before she vanished from view she said,

"We'll talk latter alright, Kakashi-kun." The jonin actually wore the tiniest smile for a few moments before reverting to his previous emotional state. Kakashi walked down the hall and that's when he ran into two kids holding each other tightly causing them to separate and Shikamaru to suffer a punch to the head for embarrassing the feisty sand kunoichi. It was at this moment when Lady Tsunade finally exited Choji's room, she sighed before looking at the pair and then to Kakashi who was still carrying the blonde baka.

She saw him shake his head and she knew at once, "Shikamaru, Choji will be fine but it appears you and Naruto failed to complete your mission. Shikamaru sunk his head but the Fifth Hokage continued, "However everyone is alive and that's all that matters in the end. Make sure you train hard so your next assignment doesn't end the same way," she finished before taking Naruto out of Kakashi's arms and heading to an empty room. Kakashi left the pair alone again and Shikamaru actually teared up,

"I swear the next mission will go perfectly without failure." Temari was a little shocked by this declaration and the boy's emotional state but she did the only thing she could think of. She wrapped her arms around him again and let him cry into her chest, "It's ok Shika, It's ok," she repeated as the boy let himself go, displaying all of the thoughts and feelings that were running through his mind. Devastation at the defection of his comrade, disappointment and guilt from the state of his comrades, as well as relief that Choji at the very least, would live.

* * *

July 31st, 64 AFL

It was a few days after the battle that Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze finally awoke from his injuries. Before he could take in his surroundings he was greeted with overbearing hugs from Hinata and Sakura. He patted their heads and looked around the room noticing that his Ero-sensei as well the Hokage were sitting in watching the scene. The girls finally released their hold over the blonde and Naruto inquired, "Is everyone else ok?" He asked in concern for his comrades.

"Yeah, everyone made it back alive but there is something that you're all going to have to do now," The Toad Sage replied causing the trio to look at him curiously. Jiraiya sighed but elaborated, "You're all going to have to forget about Sasuke and Ino." This gained the reaction he expected from the two kunoichi, loudly voicing cries of protest but to his surprise the blonde was silent. Eventually Lady Tsunade had enough of the noise and echoed a loud,

"Silence!" This shut the two girls right up, she turned to Naruto but he voiced his opinions before she could inquire, "I can't give up on them… Sasuke and I…" He took a deep breath and then continued, "Sasuke and I have even more in common than I thought possible. Even though our personalities and beliefs differ, we both share the same pain. I could… I could see it in his eyes that deep down, he was trying to resist whatever this damn thing is inside of us, even when he was saying that he was going to kill Sakura and I, his heart truly wasn't in it."

Naruto looked at everyone in the room before announcing, "I let the teme get under my skin but I will never give up on him because deep down I know there's still light inside of him. I will save my brother! I will save Sasuke from his curse and his darkness, believe it!" He finished with determination, the elders in the room looked down in defeat for a few moments before lifting their gaze back up to the trio and met their looks of determination and resolve. Jiraiya actually chuckled,

"Well, how about the three of you come on a training trip with me. I already got permission from your parents and of course Tsunade-hime. In any case it will be three years before Orochimaru can take Sasuke's body and besides…" "Besides what Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked, causing the sanin to frown but he replied nonetheless, "You remember how Itachi was with another rogue shinobi and that they were wearing matching cloaks." Naruto nodded and the sage continued,

"Truth is their part of a group known as the Akatsuki and their after the fox but I'll explain more about them once you've fully recovered," he said and then got up to leave his apprentice's room. However a cherry blossom finally voiced her own thoughts, "Actually Jiraiya-sama I was hoping…" Sakura turned to Lady Tsunade, "That you would train me Lady Hokage. I've always been interested in treating injuries and healing wounds. I would be honored if you would accept as your apprentice," she finished hopeful Tsunade would keep her word.

The Fifth showed a rare smile and gave a simple reply, "Of course Sakura but my training regiment is far harsher than this lazy pervert," Tsunade teased causing the old man to huff and mumble something under his breath. Sakura gulped and nodded as the two sanin left the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio alone.

Around the same time Sasuke Uchiha was awaking from his own state of slumber. He got ready for his training with the snake but before he could leave the room he shared with Ino and Karin, he was suddenly pushed against the wall. He realized at once who this person was and returned her embrace, they smiled at each other in the darkness of the hideout before sharing a tender kiss. Sasuke then left the room but turned around and said,

"Seriously Ino, thank you for everything," were his last words to the platinum blonde. She returned to her previous task of examining the documents and jutsu formulas Orochimaru had stolen from the Leaf with a smile on her face but as she read all of the secrets that her birth village had hidden, one insane idea crossed her mind,

'I can't believe all the shady stuff the Leaf has done in the past. It makes me wonder damn it!' She let out a sigh before her train of thought continued, 'It's such an insane idea but I could tell… I could tell that Itachi loved Sasuke and for the most part was a good person but what if… what if… the village… No! No! No! That's completely insane and I refuse to believe it.

He murdered Sasuke's parents and the rest of the clan without mercy but why spare Sasuke? What purpose did it serve him leaving a threat like that if his goal was just power? Damn it, all of this crap is making my head hurt but I can't say anything to Sasuke-kun until I have more information on what really happened that night. I may not be as smart as forehead but I know when someone's trying to hide something,' was her resolve as she continued learning and studying the documents.

Meanwhile back in the Leaf poor Lee received a good bonk to the head for his stupidity and then a heart warming hug as the normally cool and collected Tenten sobbed into his chest while repeating, "Idiot, Damn stupid idiot." She said over and over again as the bushy browed genin returned her embrace while smiling at her affectionately.

* * *

August 7th, 64 AFL

Roughly a week after the son of the Fourth awoke from his wounds, he was standing with the old pervert he knew all too well as well as his sweet moonlight. Across from them were the Fifth Hokage and Sakura Haruno Uzumaki. The blonde and the pinkette stared at each other before Hinata forced a cough snapping them out of their state of delirium. At the same time Shikamaru Nara was saying his farewells to the sand siblings, no more than a few feet away from the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio,

"Goodbye and thank you again for your help," Shikamaru said. Gaara nodded while Kankuro smiled but Temari walked straight up to him and punched him playfully in the shoulder, "I'll miss you too little boy," she teased, causing Shikamaru to huff and look away. Temari actually giggled and pecked him on the cheek before jumping away quickly and heading home. She did look back once however and laughed at the bewilder state the Nara had on his face. Kankuro followed after his sister but Gaara remained to get a word in with the Uzumaki-Namikaze heir.

Meanwhile the two loyal members of the sannin stood at the gates as well, "I'm sorry hime but you know I can never be in the village for very long." Jiraiya explained but she waved him off, it was a gesture to cover up her feelings. He knew that but said nothing, "We wasted over twenty years already, what's three more," she said, sounding uncharacteristically weak. The Toad Sage frowned, walked over and wrapped his arms around her,

"I promise we'll be back hime, you know I've never broken my word, at the very least when it comes to you." Tsunade chuckled a bit half heartedly and punched him in the gut, "Idiot shut up already, I can't let the villagers see their Hokage breakdown like a schoolgirl," she replied. Eventually the two parted and turned their attention to their apprentices. Naruto and Sakura were finally snapped out of their funk by Hinata's cough and the youngest son of the Kazekage addressing him,

"Naruto Uzumaki, thank you for showing me there was more to life than just being a monster." Naruto looked over to the red haired boy and grinned, "No problem Gaara, just make sure you keep Shukaku in check and you'll be ok, believe it!" Gaara nodded and made his exit quickly so he could catch up with his brother and sister. Naruto's gaze drifted back to the cherry blossom standing there silently before she jumped him.

He managed to catch her before they came crashing to the ground, she looked up to him in tears but a determined look on her face, "Stay safe and come back to me you damn baka of mine. We made promises to each other after all and you never go back on your word right, Naruto-kun," Sakura said. Naruto smiled, "Of course my beautiful cherry blossom, I love you too much to stay away from you forever and we have two people we have to save, you know."

The blonde leaned in and the cherry blossom managed to find his lips, sharing a kiss full of more passion and love than they had ever felt for the other before. They parted and Sakura embraced her counterpart, "Watch out for him please Hinata and make sure you both come back to me stronger than ever." Hinata returned her embrace,

"Of course Sakura I love you two too much to let either of you down. I promise Sakura, I'll get stronger and I'll be right there with you when we bring Sasuke and Ino home," she replied. The pair smiled at each other and then heard the old pervert order, "Alright brats time to go." The trio shared another group embrace before separating, Naruto took Hinata's hand and the Namikazes shared a nod with Sakura before turning around and walking toward the sunset together, following Jiraiya close behind. One chapter of their lives had ended but another was about to begin.

* * *

**AN: I honestly hoped you all enjoyed don't really have much else to say**

**Yeah I gave Sasuke a unique form of sharingan that only he will ever have unlock and yes he can shift between the regular form and this new one at will but it will be literal in story years before he figures out what the hell it does. **

**Sasuke was being an asshole because he knows Naruto will chase him down and he doesn't want to leave him with that burden and the only way to stop him is to threaten his family and basically say he hates him but he did start getting actually pissed eventually and all these confusing emotions allowed Sasuke's dominant personality to take the reigns fueled by all of the forign and malevolent chakra disrupting his body and mind.**

**Meanwhile Sakura and Hinata were close enough for their seals to activate and stopped all connection to the fox and that other presence so that Naruto would still remain in control although it screwed him over and I want everyone to remember Karin doesn't have her seal yet. **

**So yeah again I don't have very much to say, Sakura trains with Tsunade and Hinata goes with Naruto and Jiraiya little ironic that the Uchihas have finally reunited and now the Uzumaki-Namikazes are heading separate ways**

**I figure I will just upload every other Sunday at this point so as to keep somewhat of a normal schedule and the next chapter will be a small interlude in between the time skip and after that will be the beginning of part 2 really just because Hinata and Naruto deserve a little time to bond while Sakura's feelings just grow stronger and she gains a sense of longing and of course I will mention how the Uchiha trio have developed in one and half years time as well**

**Again Thank you all and hope you enjoyed.**


	18. An Eventful Interlude

**Chapter 18: An Eventful Interlude**

* * *

February 16th, 66 AFL

It was nearing midday when Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze dismissed his clones and tried to perform the jutsu he had been trying to master for the last few days, "**Wind Style - Great Breakthrough!**" He shouted but to his disappointment the technique just wasn't up to his standards, 'Damn it, with my affinity to wind this should be easy but I always hated having to master multiple signs for just one jutsu,' he thought in annoyance. He was snapped out of his aggravation from an all too familiar voice,

"Naruto-kun! Are you ready for lunch?" Hinata asked as she came up to the boy she had been traveling with for almost two years. Naruto had grown and was now taller than her, not to mention how well toned he had gotten. As for Hinata her hair was down to her back as usual but she had grown in what Pervy Sage would say, in all the right departments. Fortunately for them the sage had taken their training seriously, possibly because his novels no longer required the adequate amount of research they needed before.

Jiraiya had been forced to stop writing smut in his stories by the lovely Lady Tsunade but if it bothered him, he didn't show it. Naruto had also acquired a new jumpsuit, rather necessary with his growth spurt, that was still mostly orange but now had bits of black instead of blue. Hinata had also acquired a new outfit although it was similar to her old one and with some difficulty the Hyuga heiress had even taught herself how to sew. She had designed a new cloak for Naruto that was black instead of blue but still had oranges flames along the bottom. Hinata herself had decided to make herself a dark blue cloak, that was the same shade as Naruto's old one but similar to her previous cloak it had moons patterned on the bottom and cuffs.

Hinata eventually laid out a blanket on the ground and started preparing the lunch she had made for them. Naruto smiled while joining her and asked, "Have you made any progress on the Bird Cage Seal?" Hinata sighed but took a bite of her meal before replying, "Not really but I did make a little progress on your da…" The Hyuga beauty was interrupted when they heard Jiraiya call their names, "Naruto, Hinata we have a guest who has some info on Orochimaru," he said while grinning like a fool.

Meanwhile back in the Leaf Village a pinkette was standing in front of the woman who was a sensei, grandmother, and Hokage to her, "Sakura you've asked me about the Uzumaki clan and my grandmother more times than I can count but like I said before I don't have any real records of Uzugakure or the Fuinjutsu scrolls that you're interested in." Lady Hokage explained but seeing her apprentices look of disappointment she sighed and then said loudly, "Sakura!" The young medic looked up to her master again,

"You're lucky you're the best student I've ever had and that we're so close because I would never approve of this otherwise however I can tell how important this is to you," the old woman started confusing the cherry blossom slightly. "I'll approve a solo mission for you to visit the ruins of Uzugakure and to retrieve any documents or jutsus that may be useful to the Leaf," Tsunade ordered and then stamped the mission approved after slamming the paper onto her desk,

"But you better come back or so help me Kami I'll show you just what I did to Jiraiya-kun when I caught him peeking on me years ago." Sakura gulped and nodded, "Hai, thank you Tsunade-sama," she said happily and left the Hokage's office to get ready for her mission. While walking she couldn't help but wonder, 'Naruto-kun, Hinata, I hope you two are doing ok. I miss you both so much, I just hope you're ready to come home soon.'

Meanwhile deep in one of Orochimaru's secret hideouts the Uchiha clan were standing in front of a vile snake, "Sasuke-kun I have a mission for you that should help with you're training," the sannin grinned but when the trio of Uchihas just stared at him with indifference he sighed, "Eight hundred of my test subjects have escaped from one of my prisons and I'd like you to take Karin-chan and retrieve them," he finished explaining. Sasuke snickered,

"Fine but we'll be visiting Uzugakure afterward," the Uchiha finished calmly. Orochimaru's eyes perked up at this, "Why go there Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke huffed, "It's Karin home and if there's anything left of value there, I want it," he replied simply. Orochimaru scowled at the ravin haired teen, there was always a deal with this boy but the possible justus that the Uzumaki clan had were invaluable and if there was anything left it would be worth salvaging. "Fine you two can go." Sasuke and Karin nodded before looking at Ino who nodded herself, making their departure while Ino stood in front of the sannin with a scowl,

"What Ino-chan?" Ino huffed before basically ordering the snake, "I want to know everything you know about the First, Second, and Third Hokage, as well as your experiences with the Leaf itself. I know you were in competition with the Fourth Hokage over his position and I also know why you were marked a rogue nin so tell me how did the great Orochimaru-sama get here. I want to know everything as well as whatever dealings you had with the organization called Root." This one shocked the snake but he kept his composure and actually chuckled sickly, "

Well Ino-chan you sure are a nosy girl. Hmmm, very well then I'll tell you my story," he replied arrogantly. The sannin gave the platinum blonde an entire auto biography of his greatness but the girl held on to every word nonetheless and eventually one name sparked her interest. A rival to Lord Third and leader of what was supposed to be the defunct group known as Root, Danzo Shimura as well as the First Hokage's arch rival Madara Uchiha. Meanwhile Naruto and Hinata were meeting another person whose life had been devastated by the snake,

"So you're name's Sasame Fuma," Naruto stated. "And Orochimaru recruited most of your clan promising greatness but he just ended up using them for his experiments," Hinata finished. "Yes!" The brown eyed, orange haired girl said in tears as she cried into the Namikaze matriarch's chest, "I've been on my own for over a year but I hadn't found them. Then I… I wandered into a cave and I… I found them all dead. Their bodies had been joined together, it was so… so inhumane," she continued while sobbing. The pair tried to help the girl to the best of their ability while Jiraiya summoned a toad and wrote a message on a scroll. He then put a hand on the girl's shoulder and said simply,

"Follow my friend back to the Leaf, my hime we'll take care of you, I promise," he said softly. The girl was still sniffling but as she started to follow the messenger toad she turned to the pair one last time and said sadly, "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help but I do pray your friends fare better against that bastard then mine did." Sasame disappeared into the trees with the toad and the Namikaze pair looked at each other sadly, "Well that's a way to kill an anniversary," Naruto tried to manage a joke but Hinata looked at him confused, "Anniversary?" She questioned and he just looked at her fondly before saying,

"It's February 16th, Hinata-chan, two years ago was the day we first kissed, believe it," he said while wearing a stupid looking grin. Hinata gasped, even though she had forgotten, he had remembered and that's what really shocked her, "Now there's a festival tonight right Pervy Sage." The old man nodded and then said, "You might want to run to town to get a kimono Hinata. Don't worry I'll make sure Naruto gets something... appropriate," the old man said while thinking of the obvious orange choice his apprentice would make.

Hinata jumped to her feet and squealed in delight, grabbed the blonde by his face and kissed him hard before skipping into town in some sort of delirium of bliss. Naruto went to follow his soulmate but was stopped when Ero-sensei placed a hand on his shoulder. The blonde turned around wondering what the hell his sensei wanted but when he saw what was in his hand his jaw hit the ground.

* * *

It was late into the evening before Sasuke and Karin located their targets, "Alright Sasuke-kun, there's two hundred and sixty to the North. One hundred to the south, nearly three hundred heading east and the remaining targets are to our west." Karin explained while using her incredible sensory abilities. Sasuke simply nodded and one by one he hunted down the escaped prisoner with skill and precision. He defeated everyone without killing any of them but when he heard a scream he immediately darted back to Karin's original position. What he saw turned his stomach, one of the prisoners had a long sharp dagger and was currently lunging at his redheaded soulmate.

He lunged into action without thinking and when Karin opened her eyes she saw her attacker cleaved in two while Sasuke wiped the man's blood off of his katana. "Sasuke-kun you… you killed him for me," she managed to whimper out and then collapsed to the ground, "Damn it, I'm useless I know how much you hate killing unnecessarily and now because of me you had to…" The girl stopped when she felt the young Uchiha cup her chin,

"We're shinobi Karin and remember what I said the day we met." Sasuke said as she looked up to him with tears, "I will never let any harm come to you or Ino no matter what I have to do." He finished calmly and then released the poor redhead. "Still you definitely need some more offensive jutsu. I know Kabuto's been training you in medical ninjutsu and your sensory abilities are beyond incredible." Sasuke stated honestly causing Karin to blush. Sasuke sighed before looking to the girl and thinking, 'Well it's worth a shot.'

"Karin let me try teaching you my Fireball jutsu," he said causing the redhead teen's eyes to widen but she replied sadly. "But Sasuke-kun you know I don't have an affinity to fire, I'm a water and earth user like Ino, Orochimaru tested me when he captured me." She finished with a look of disappointment. Sasuke sighed again but only said, "Humor me." She got ready and Sasuke showed Karin the signs while shouting, "**Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" As he did this he kept his eyes locked on Karin's and unbeknownst to him his unique form of sharingan activated.

As soon as Sasuke executed his signature jutsu Karin mirrored the action without fail, "**Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" Lucky for the pair they directed their attacks away from each other and together their combined flame burned several trees to ash. Sasuke looked back to the girl with his mouth wide open, "How?" Karin looked around just as bewildered as he was, looking to her hands and then eventually back to Sasuke, "I don't know." She replied just as confused as he was but then she pointed to the young sharingan wielder, "Sasuke-kun I didn't know you could invert the colors of your sharingan," she said simply. Sasuke put a hand over his eyes and thought,

'The normal sharingan copies and steals an opponent's techniques but this form gives jutsus instead of takes them. Shit, that still doesn't explain why Karin has fire style chakra when all she ever had was an affinity to water and earth,' he thought. Sasuke huffed and turned his attention back to the lovely redhead, "Will you let me try again Karin." Karin nodded with a determined look and Sasuke used a jutsu he had picked up while stuck with the snake, "**Lightning Style - Lightning Ball!**"

Several yellow orbs of lightning erupted from Sasuke's mouth and scattered themselves around the area before detonating in a large explosion of electricity. Unfortunately for Karin her attempt to use the jutsu failed miserably and she collapsed to the ground in a state of exhaustion. Sasuke immediately rushed over to the girl and picked her up while asking in concern, "Karin, Karin are you okay?" He asked but she simply smiled and replied, "Sorry Sasuke-kun," before leaning up and quickly pecking his cheek. Karin collapsed into Sasuke's arms, although Sasuke would swear she wasn't asleep but then a thought crossed his mind, 'If Karin has my fire then does that mean Ino has my lightning,' were the Uchiha's thoughts as he set up camp and prepared for their journey to Uzugakure. All while several other sound shinobi gathered the escaped but alive nin and transferred them back to Orochimaru's prison.

Meanwhile Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze was tapping his foot, waiting impatiently outside of Hinata's tent wondering what the hell was taking so long. He was dressed in a black kimono while his hair was just as messy as it always was. When the Hyuga heiress finally did emerge for the second time today, the blonde's jaw hit the floor for the second time today. Hinata emerged wearing a light blue kimono made of the finest silk. Like always her long hair was down and flowing freely while a necklace made of clear white pearls surrounded her neck. She giggled a little at the boy's reaction and said happily,

"Do you think I look alright Naruto-kun?" Naruto got out of his stupor and looked at her fondly before cupping her face and bringing her close, "You look beautiful Hinata-hime." He quickly pecked her lips before grabbing her hand and soon enough they were at the local festival. They started with a light dinner, proceeded with several games, and by the end of the night they were making their wishes. As the two walked in the moonlight they found themselves coming out of the woods and stood atop a small hill. Hinata caught a chill and moved closer to the blonde who held her tightly in his arms.

He looked down to the girl with a small smile but when he went for their two year anniversary kiss they heard a loud bang. The sky was illuminated by the various colors of the beautiful fireworks that glowed brightly in the night sky. Hinata leaned up to kiss her soulmate but was surprised to see him on his knees. The Hyuga princess gasped before asking, "Naruto-kun is that what I think it is?" Naruto smiled affectionately after her,

"This ring was apparently Ba-chan's grandmothers and I know I'm not the smartest when it comes to this kind of thing but I still want to ask you the normal way." The blonde chunin gulped before looking back to meet the princesses's eyes, "Will you be happy with me and becoming Mrs. Namikaze, Hinata-chan." Naruto opened the box and revealed a ring with a diamond at the center, it was a modest piece of jewelry but it fit the First Hokage as well as Naruto's personality. Hinata went wide eyed for a moment but then squealed in delight,

"Yes Naru-kun, yes a hundred times yes!" She took the ring and slipped it on her finger and then grabbed the poor baka's face and forced him into a deep lip lock. Although Hinata's first reaction made him happy and relieved, the second made him sigh, when the beautiful girl collapsed into his arms in a state of blissful unconsciousness,

"Kami damn it! Damn it! What the hell, you haven't done that in years my sweet moonlight. Hinata-chan was my proposal really too much for you," he said, half somewhat irritated and the other half a bit amused. "Sorry Naru-kun," she managed to whisper out through her state of emotional delirium. Naruto actually laughed at that and decided it was a good time to call it a night so he returned to their campsite and laided Hinata in her tent. Before leaving her to her dreams he pecked her cheek and then brushed his hand against hers.

The blonde then sighed before exiting the tent and heading to his own. As he laid down in his own sleeping bag he couldn't help but be happy that Hinata truly did want to be with him, although he couldn't help but wonder how his cherry blossom was doing and if she would be just as eager to become Mrs. Uzumaki. As the Namikazes drifted off to sleep Ino Yamanaka Uchiha was preparing to enter the land of dreams herself. As she got into the massive bed alone she couldn't help but reflect on all the things Orochimaru had told her,

'So the First Hokage killed Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End after he failed to convince our clan to betray the village. Then after Hashirama's death his younger brother became Hokage and formed the Uchiha police force. This was done as an act of good will but anyone with half a brain knows how the police force can be viewed by the general public and it sure as hell didn't help that our clan were the majority of the members in the force.' Ino shoved her face into the red pillow she was using and let loose an aggravated scream,

'Then there's the fact that Madara's weapon of choice was the nine-tails. I mean not even the Fourth Hokage could control that thing, that's why he had to seal it inside Naruto so how the hell did he just order it around like some damn pet.' Ino sat up in her bed and actually said aloud in realization, "What if… What if it was Madara's sharingan that allowed him to control the nine-tails and if that's the case then… then is that reason Sasuke and Naruto were placed on the same team." Ino flopped back down on the bed and shook her head trying to clear her thoughts,

'Alright so if the sharingan can somehow control the nine-tails then…" Ino eyes shot wide open again, "Then it was a member of the Uchiha clan that attacked the village fifteen years ago and released that damn thing and… and if the Hokage and the other members of the Leaf knew about this then… then they would have assumed the clan itself was involved, shit!" Ino sighed and shook her head again before turning over and trying her best to get asleep, 'Is it really possible that the Leaf ordered Itachi to do what he did. I thought it was crazy but the more I learn about the village and the Uchiha in general the more it seems like it could really be true but even if that's the case what the hell am I supposed to do,' were the blonde's last thoughts before succumbing to her mental exhaustion.

* * *

February 19th, 66 AFL

Roughly three days later Sasuke and Karin finally arrived at the ruins of Uzugakure, "So this was where you were born, huh Karin." Sasuke said, causing the redhead to nod and simply reply, "Yeah, I spent my childhood here until this place was overrun and my clan was nearly all but wiped out." Sasuke nodded and the pair proceeded through the ruins but stopped when they heard an explosion. "Those sound like paper bombs Sasuke-kun and I'm sensing someone, we're definitely not alone," Karin explained. Sasuke nodded and the pair headed toward the direction of the explosion. "Sasuke-kun over there," she said while pointing directly ahead,

"Damn it, I was lost in thought and didn't even notice the damn thing," the girl yelled in annoyance as she used medical ninjutsu to heal her injured leg. "Here let me help," Karin said to the unknown kunoichi. The redhead started healing the kunoichi and she said, "Thanks but who are you and what are you doing here?" Before Karin could reply the raven haired Uchiha appeared and answered for her, "Long time, no see Sakura and this Karin, Karin Uzumaki." Sakura looked toward the direction of the voice and her jaw nearly hit the ground,

"Sasuke!" She said and then immediately jumped up and gave her long lost teammate an overbearing hug before releasing him, "But why are you two here and where is Ino?" She said in a much more agitated tone. Sasuke rubbed his sore shoulders, 'Damn she's strong, ow,' he thought before answering the pinkette, "Ino is still with Orochimaru, the snake's not stupid, he only ever allows two of us to leave at a time," he explained. Sakura sighed, "Well I guess that means you two aren't coming back anytime soon," she replied but then looked at the Uchiha pair suspiciously before asking again,

"So what are you two doing here in Uzugakure?" Sasuke huffed and started heading deeper into the ruins with Karin following close behind. Sakura huffed herself but followed the pair nonetheless. After a few moments the Uchiha finally replied, "The only reason where here is so Karin can grab anything she feels we need and if we're lucky, anything that belonged to Karin's mother." Karin smiled fondly and grabbed the Uchiha's left hand but he did not pull away. "And what are you doing here Sakura?" Sakura smirked and replied,

"Hinata's project for Naru-kun is almost finished but we can't risk the assholes in the village fucking with it so I was hoping to find some privacy and invisibilty seals among other things." Karin chuckled a little, "What you're looking for would probably be in the village's council chambers, it's directly ahead at the center of the village," she explained to the cherry blossom. Sakura nodded and headed off while Karin led Sasuke to her childhood home. Meanwhile several miles away the great sage Jiraiya of the sannin came up to his apprentice with a very dangerous and stupid idea.

"Hey Naruto I'm curious about something, take off your shirt and let me examine Minato's seal again," he said. Naruto looked at the old man curiously at first but decided to comply, wondering what the hell was going through the old man's mind.

At the exact same time, in the Hidden Leaf Village the future Kazekage was meeting with the current Hokage, Lady Tsunade. "You know this jutsu is only technically supposed to be used on shinobi of the leaf and their soulmates not the future Kazekage," the elderly woman explained. "I know," Gaara started, "However both of my siblings have gone through it and it's how Naruto Uzumaki was able to gain at least some control over his tailed beast." Gaara sighed before explaining further, "And if I am going to be Kazekage it will put the villagers minds at ease knowing the line is still going strong." Tsunade couldn't argue with that and after grabbing the sand's shinobi's hand she shouted, "**Sacred Art - Soul Seal Jutsu!**"

Back in Uzugakure Sasuke and Karin were leaving her and her mother's old home, "I'm sorry there wasn't much left Karin," Sasuke said, actually sounding slightly disappointed. Karin looked to him and smiled, "Don't worry Sasuke-kun, my mother's necklace and a few old photos are more than enough for me," she replied happily. "Alright then let's find Sakura and get the hell out of this death trap. I don't know why this place is littered with paper bombs, Kami must really not like us because a good enough shock wave will set them all off," Sasuke explained.

Karin nodded in agreement and that's when Sakura reapered with a smile of her own, "I found more than I could have hoped for, formulas for sound proofing, camouflage, and even some self cleaning seals." she said happily. Sasuke and Karin nodded and the trio began to make their leave of the old Uzumaki village when Sakura asked, "So after you kill Orochimaru and Itachi, you and Ino are coming home, right Sasuke?" Sasuke opened his mouth to answer but suddenly he grabbed his head and let out a deafening scream,

"Sasuke, Sasuke, what's wrong?" Karin asked in concern but when she grabbed his arm he flung her to the ground, "Stay away from me Karin!" He said in an odd voice. Karin turned to Sakura for help as Sasuke cried in agony but the poor pinkette was grabbing her right hand, her seal glowing and flashing at an erratic rate. "Fuck, this hurts, it hurts! What the hell is going on!" Sakura yelled in pain, "I can't even describe it, it's like my hand is on fire and it's going to fall off!" She explained and without warning Sasuke collapsed to the ground lying on his back motionless with his eyes glowing the bleakest black. "What the fuck is going on?" Karin said in worry as she did her best to treat the two members of Team 7, one in unbearable pain and the other near catatonic.

At the exact same time Hinata made her way to where Jiraiya and Naruto were at albeit with difficulty from the sheer pain coursing through her left hand, "What the hell did you do? Why is Naruto-kun just laying there like that and what happened to his eyes?" She asked seeing her soulmate passed out on the ground his shirt off and his eyes glowing a pure white. "I… I don't know! I was trying to loosen the seal a little to see if the kid could handle more of the fox's chakra but he ended up like this," the sage explained in worry. "Well tighten it back up, I don't know what you did but it's affecting me too, Aaahhhhh!" She cried out in pain while holding her hand. "R-Right!" Jiraiya said but as he got in position a huge eruption of chakra blew him back, "Kami what have I done," he thought out loud.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze awoke to a voice he had never heard before, "Naruto, Naruto it's time to get up." The blonde slowly opened his eyes and immediately realized he was deep inside the seal but when he looked up and he was almost brought to tears. He still had one score to settle first however so before embracing the unknown person he quickly formed an orb of condensed chakra using his right hand and shoved it into the person's chest, "**Rasengan!**" The person flew back several feet but landed up right and actually chuckled,

"Should have seen that coming I guess," he said. Naruto got to his feet and looked at the man again before shouting, "That's for sealing that asshole inside of me dad!" The blonde shouted while shedding tears and pointing at Kurama who huffed and pretended he was asleep. Naruto walked over to his father and after a moment embraced him in the tightest hug, "But how… how are you even here dad?" Minato smiled and returned his son's embrace before ruffling his hair,

"I was the first one to use the Soul Seal Jutsu and my chakra was forever bonded to the formula but I feared this day would come." The Fourth Hokage sighed, "Tell me Naruto were you really bonded with two girls and not just one?" Naruto looked at his father confused but replied, "Yeah but why does that matter?" The chunin asked, Minato sighed again, "It's because…" "Wait Minato Namikaze I'll answer that!" A voice that Naruto had only heard twice in his life said, causing Naruto to turn around and shout,

"You!" "Hahahah, so we meet again Naruto Uzumaki, it's such a shame I can't just absorb you right now but these damn seals prevent me from consuming you," the unknown man said with annoyance. Naruto looked around the room again and on one side he could see Sakura on the ground grabbing her right hand and crying in pain. To his left Hinata was on her knees but grabbing her left hand instead. Naruto turned to the man again and shouted, "What the hell are you doing to Sakura and Hinata! Tell me who the hell really are you!?" The man laughed cruelly pissing the young blonde all the more off but Minato put a hand on his shoulder before scowling at the man himself,

"So which one are you, Indra or Asura?" The man's laughing suddenly stopped, "So father left more than just that jutsu behind huh. Very well then allow me to introduce myself, I am Asura Otsutsuki, youngest son of the Sage of Six Paths himself Hagoromo Otsutsuki." "So you were just giving me a bunch of crap when you said you were the true me huh, get the hell out of my body you freak!" Naruto shouted causing Asura to laugh again,

"No, I really wasn't, you see Naruto, our spirits, our very souls are one in the same. You are my current reincarnation just like Hashirama Senju was my previous incarnation. Why the hell do you think you have two soulmates they're not both yours. Every incarnation of mine has had their own partner created for them while mine has cycled with me since the very beginning. Don't you get it, one of those two girls is my soulmate, although I haven't figured out which one yet." Asura looked to the girls who were still bent over in pain and then back to the father son pair in front of him,

"Truth be told, I don't know why father made that jutsu but as soon it was activated my personality emerged from deep within in your soul and know that I have consciousness for the first time in centuries I promise you." Asura grinned at the pair before Naruto barked out, "Promise me what!" Asura grin turned cynical and he only replied,

"That I will end Indra's line forever and to do that I will take over your soul and body, kill Sasuke Uchiha as well as any other members of that accursed clan!" Naruto had heard enough, "Screw you!" He shouted as he charged the projection of Asura full force, "I'm not you and Sasuke isn't Indra!" Asura just stood there as the blonde closed in, "I will never kill Sasuke or his family because to me Sasuke is a part of my family!" Suddenly the blonde disappeared in a puff of smoke and appeared right behind Asura,

"Now screw off you bastard, **Rasengan!**" Asura turned around and caught the blonde's jutsu with his right hand surprising the chunin and as his original incarnation laughed coldy he said, "Oh, I wonder if cutting off their hands will stop these annoying seals from going off. What do you think, huh Naruto?" The blonde filled with more rage than ever before summoned an even greater amount of chakra into his free hand and tried again, "**Rasengan!**"

"Haha, do you really think that simple trick, what!" Naruto's rasengan was powered by nine-tails chakra this time around and Asura managed to turn his head to see an old friend of his smirking, "Damn you Kurama!" As soon as Naruto's jutsu made contact with Asura's left hand a deafening explosion was heard and the sewer, Kurama, Asura, and the Fourth Hokage vanished from the blonde's sight.

Just as Naruto awoke in his seal Sasuke Uchiha found himself in his own mental landscape, "Hey wake up," someone the Uchiha had not heard before said. Sasuke got to his feet, backed away quickly and then he looked on in shock, "The Fourth Hokage but you're... you're dead." Minato chuckled and informed the young Uchiha of the same thing he had told Naruto but their conversation was cut short by a deep voice,

"So young Uchiha have you come seeking my power again?" He asked wearing a sick looking grin. "Who are you!?" Sasuke shouted in anger but Minato held him back, "He's your first incarnation Sasuke and his name is Indra, Indra Otsutsuki." "What?!" Sasuke said in disbelief. "It's true Sasuke and now I have to inform you of your greatest threat, my little brother's reincarnation but you know who that is already don't you." "Naruto," Sasuke almost whispered,

"Yes, my little brother has stood in the way of my quest for power since the very beginning and now with the Senju as well as the Uzumaki near extinction it is up to us to insure he is never reborn again," Indra stated. Sasuke chuckled a little, "Sorry but I have no intrest in you or your stupid brother, all I care about is killing mine and restarting my clan so you can fuck right off." Indra looked at the boy coldly before laughing again, Sasuke grabbed his left arm in pain and let out a wail of agony,

"It seems I don't need your consent after all." Minato examined Sasuke's arm but didn't understand what was happening, "Sasuke you and your soulmates have both of their seals don't they?" The Fourth questioned but Sasuke shook his head confirming his suspicions. "Haha, it looks like I can just absorb you slowly, soon enough young Uchiha I will be reborn again and through you I will have my revenge!" Sasuke managed to scowl at his original incarnation before shouting,

"I will not be controlled! I will not be someone's puppet or tool! I am Sasuke of the Uchiha clan, Now Begone! Sasuke's inverted sharingan flared and Indra said, "What the hell kind of sharingan is that!" Suddenly the landscape around them disappeared and Indra was pushed back, deep into the depths of Sasuke's soul.

* * *

Far away at one of Orochimaru's hideouts Ino had just felt the unbearable pain leave her left hand and as she sweat while struggling to breath she shouted, "What the fuck was that? It was like my hand was being ripped from my body," she shuddered before saying aloud, "Kami Sasuke-kun, Karin I hope you two are alright." Meanwhile Pervy Sage had finally gotten close to Naruto and with the fox's key he managed to re-tighten the seal.

A large discharge of chakra was felt while Naruto's eyes and seals stopped glowing but he was still passed out and extremely exhausted. The sage turned to the Hyuga heiress hoping for some help but he saw she was passed out as well, still tightly clutching her left hand. Jiraiya immediately scooped up the pair of Namikazes and did his best to treat their symptoms, which from what he could tell was simply chakra exhaustion.

Meanwhile Sasuke finally awoke and an intense shockwave of chakra erupted from his body. He got to his knees quickly and shouted, "Shit!" The shockwave had triggered the paper bombs around the area and were causing a chain reaction. Even though he was near exhaustion he used the jutsu he detested the most, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" The sharingan wielder picked up Karin while the clone took the unconscious Sakura, moving as fast as their legs could carry them while dodging explosion after explosion.

Eventually the pair reached the edge of the village and when they turned around they saw the remains of Uzugakure were nothing but debris, an entire village was completely gone. Sasuke's clone managed to lay Sakura on the ground before dispelling and the young Uchiha collapsed to one knee while panting. 'So one eye teaches instead of steals and the other dispels mental landscapes, even my own. I wonder if it would work against Ino's mind transfer, I'll just have to ask her to try it." Sasuke thought but was quickly snapped out of it by Karin who was now applying healing chakra to his body. Sasuke looked at the girl who was drenched in tears then back to the pebbles that were once her birth village and said,

"I'm sorry about your home Karin." He said with regret in his voice. Karin finished her treatment and punched him in the skull, then wrapped her arms around him, "Idiot, I don't care about that, I'm worried about you," she explained. Sasuke managed a half smile before saying, "Come on Karin let's go back." Karin released her hold on the boy but looked to the pinkette still asleep on the ground, "What about your old teammate?" Sasuke jumped to a tree but turned around to reply,

"She's one of the strongest kunoichi I've ever met. I'm sure she'll be fine once she wakes up and it will be better if we're not around when she does." Karin nodded and followed her soulmate through the trees wondering just what the hell happened to Sasuke and Sakura. While Karin was stuck in thought Sasuke looked at his left arm and noticed a small black spot on the back of his hand. He tried cleaning it off but nothing he tried worked, annoyed and exhausted he decided to deal with it once he got some rest and chose to hide this information from everyone but himself.

* * *

February 22nd, 66 AFL

After waking up in the forest outside of Uzugakure, Sakura managed to remember what had happened but decided to keep the incident with the Uchiha to herself until she could tell Naruto and Hinata about her reunion with two-thirds of the clan. It was nearly three days later when she found herself back in the Leaf and standing in front of Lady Tsunade. "So did you find anything good Sakura?" The cherry blossom gave a genuine smile, "Hai Lady Hokage, I found everything I need to finish our little project." Sakura said happily. Tsunade eyed her suspiciously,

"Did anything else happen?" Sakura had turned around and was almost at the door when she heard the Hokage causing her to gulp and start sweating profusely. Luckily the pinkette was saved when Shizune came bursting through the door, "Lady Tsunade, I can't take it anymore I can't watch your daughters and my son nonstop." The raven haired woman had burst in wearing what looked like the ultimate child caring device, in the front was a little girl not even a year old yet who looked like a miniature clone of Tsunade named Mito after her grandmother. On her back was another toddler who looked strikingly similar to her sister but her hair was a bit spiky like her fathers. In Shizune's arm was a little boy who was even younger than the twins with black hair but one could swear he was a kakashi clone, even his blanket was covering the bottom half of his cute little face.

Tsunade sighed before giving Sakura a new mission, "Sakura you're watching Mito and Anzu for me, Shizune leave the little ones with Sakura for now if you're so exhausted." The slug sannin replied with annoyance at her apprentice. Shizune handed her son to Tsunade and then placed Mito and Anzu into Sakura's hands, "Have fun now Sakura." Shizune said with a grin and then picked her son back up into her arms, "Alright Obito-kun lets go and find your daddy so we can have a nice family meal." The raven haired woman said as she walked out of the office, trying to make her stoic son laugh using funny faces. Tsunade went to turn to Sakura but the pinkette and her daughters were long gone,

Tsunade just shook her head before returning to her paperwork forgetting completely about the last question she had asked the future Uzumaki matriarch. Sakura eventually made her way back to her parents, the two little Senju babies in hand but when she got to her front door she found her mother and father waiting for her, "Umm, mom, dad, what are you doing?" Kizashi grinned at his daughter before announcing quite loudly, "Me and your mom are going on a two week vacation so you're stuck with little Kaiza until we get back, ok see ya!" Kizashi announced and then started booking it down the road.

"Kizashi-baka wait for me!" Mebuki yelled as she sprinted out the door but turned to her daughter with a smile, "Kaizas sleeping in his crib, take good care of him ok hunny," she gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek before take off as fast as she could after her husband, "Damn it Kizashi I said wait you damn stupid baka of mine!" Sakura sweat dropped then she turned her head to the two toddlers in her hands and right on cue they both started to cry. Sakura sighed before entering home and doing her best to calm the children of Tsunade and Jiraiya but just as she did and collapsed on her couch she heard, Waaaaahhhh!"

Sakura shot up at once and rushed to her little brother's room and held him close while whispering in his ear, "It's alright Kaiza-kun, big sis Sakura is here so don't cry, please Kami stop crying." Her comforting words seemed to do the trick but as she sat him down she heard another deafening, "Wahhhh! Coming from her kitchen and the poor cherry blossom reached her limit, "Is this what my life is now taking care of babies who aren't even mine!" Unfortunately Sakura's scream awakened her brother and the twin who was sleeping peacefully, it was clear the pinkette was in for a rough two weeks especially if she would be taking over babysitting duty for Lady Tsunade.

Several miles away Sasuke and Karin finally returned to their bedroom at Orochimaru's. The trio shared a short embrace and recapped their trip to Uzugakure but Sasuke refused to say a word about what had happened in his mind. As for Naruto and Hinata they had recovered soon after the incident but the blonde had taken a page out of his brother's book and chose to reveal nothing about the experience with Asura and his father claiming he didn't remember a thing.

The Namikaze pair were currently following their sensei, while walking down the road they talked about home, Sakura as well as the problems they had with the Hyuga and Uchiha clans but one thought haunted the boy's mind, 'Could it really be true that Hinata-chan or Sakura-chan is technically Asura's soulmate? Am I even worthy of you two then? Am I even worthy of one of you?' The blonde was shaken out of his stupor by his sweet moonlight grabbing his right hand and the pair looked forward to face the future together, in just a little over a year they would be home, reunited with Sakura and their real mission would finally begin.

* * *

**AN: So yeah a lot of An lol**

**Like I said this was going to be a Naruhina centered chapter and it kinda should of been obvious that it was time for Sasuke and Karin to bond wish I could done a little bit more with the festival but they are not my forte and don't worry Sakura will get Kushina's ring when it's time and they will have a more western style date than the traditional japanese like I did for Naruto and Hinata**

**Yes I had a lot of revelations here the reason they have two soulmates is because one of the girls and no I will never reveal who is Asura's reincarnated soulmate and one is Naruto's and yes I will be going with the Asura spelling over Ashura really just because I had to pick one or the other**

**I know a lot of people don't like the Asura Indra connection to Sasuke and Naruto but I've wanted to use this idea for like ever and this was the plan from the very beginning and yes I'm aware that they weren't evil in the original but for the sake of this fic they are, deal lol**

**Visiting the ruins of Uzugakure was a fun idea to explore and Sakura picked up some Fuinjutsu stuff although it's pretty simple stuff and next chapter we will finally learn what Hinata's idea was for Naruto all the way back from chapter 4**

**Yes Ino is figuring stuff out and putting it together quickly actually really lucky that gossip queen is one of her character traits lol**

**Yeah Sasuke has figured some of what this new sharingan can do and if your wondering I wasn't going to transfer any power via the soul seal jutsu but literally all of our girls had Earth and Water releases so I figured I would transfer Sasuke's fire to Karin and Lightning to Ino as well as Naruto's girls getting his wind although they don't know that yet and Naruto will get Hinata's lightning and Sakura's water to go with his wind. Same applies to Sasuke with Ino's water and Karin's earth and it will only be for them.**

**I told you old I was starting next gen with Tsunade and Shizune and I did Tsunade had twin girls (If you're wondering when before they left not saying anymore) and Shizune had boy who was obviously named Obito and yeah Sakura's parents hopped on the baby making train too and gave our pinkette a little brother. Also if your curious there are two more children that were born around the same time but you'll have to wait till next time to see who they are, one couple is blatantly obvious while the other, heheh I don't know how you're going to react but I will say it's not one of the rookie nine still have a ways to go before that. **

**Garra will be paired with exactly who you'd think it would be, enough said **

**Next time we will start Shippuden yeah although I will say this Naruto's story will go similarly to canon but I have special plans for Sasuke and his motives going forward especially after the battle with Itachi and whether or not they'll uncover the truth by then and his story will definitely be a bit more Au than Naruto's but I promise they will meet in combat at the end although it may not be the finale battle hehe, oh and if you're wondering Sakura doesn't bother trying to bring Sasuke home alone, she couldn't defeat Sasuke let alone with Karin's help so she just makes the most of the time she has with one of her closest friends**

**A response to reviews**

**Gunner: As always great to hear you enjoyed and hope I can keep you entertained going forward lol**

**Guest: Really no response other than if you guys are curious for Naruto I like him with Sakura, Ino, or Hinata anyone of those or even a mix are good for me in a story and I even like him with other girls too but those are my top 3 although Sakura is my personal favorite to read as a power couple. As for Sasuke it's Ino, Hinata, and then Karin I know pretty much the same girls for both guys but whatever lol and Ino has become my favorite from just writing this story.**

**As always I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you in two weeks with the beginning of part II until then may you all have a fond farewell **


	19. Reunions

**Chapter 19 - Reunions**

* * *

March 1st, 67 AFL

It had been nearly three years since Sakura had heard that voice, the voice that could only belong to one person. Her baka, she knew now that he was back. The pinkette followed the sound, closely followed by Konohamaru and his teammates trying desperately to locate the source. She was then shocked when the person she was seeking dropped down right in front of her,

"Baka!" Sakura shouted and gave him a small tap to the head before wrapping her arms around him, "Naruto-kun I can't believe how much you've grown, it looks like you're finally taller than me," she giggled while nuzzling her neck into his chest. The blonde smiled fondly at her before letting out an inward sigh of relief, he had been worried that Sakura's affection for him might've lessened with their time apart but clearly that wasn't the case. She released him and he finally got a good look at his first crush,

"Sakura-hime you look as beautiful as ever, believe it," he chuckled at the use of the old vocal tic that had slowly started to go away as he had grown. Sakura blushed and looked away for a moment while her inner self thought, 'How did Hinata control herself, those big strong arms, those abs I could feel, even through that baggy jumpsuit of his, damn.' Naruto picked up on her zoned out state and quickly snuck in a quick kiss to her forehead making her blink in surprise and as a result made her latch on to him while forcing him into a deep kiss. "I missed you," he said and then embraced her tightly again. She held him tightly herself and simply replied, "I missed you too, baka, believe it." The two parted once again and Sakura spotted her counterpart over Naruto's shoulder.

"Hinata!" Sakura yelled out and in her excitement pushed Naruto to the side, much harder than she had intended, she figured that in the end that this was a combination of all of their faults, she finalized while sprinting towards the Hyuga princess. She embraced Hinata tightly and then whispered a few words into ear, the first piece of news had the byakugan wielder jumping with joy but the second caused her to go red in the face before she quickly sighed and whispered in the pinkette's ear,

"He's completely oblivious when it comes to that Sakura. Actually turned out to be a good thing because if he knew what he was doing I doubt I could resist," Hinata admitted as straight faced as she could. It was around this time the blonde awoke and saw his soulmates both red in the face. Before he had the chance to ask what was wrong however his sweet moonlight addressed him, "I would love to catch up with you Sakura but I have few things that need to be done as soon as possible so I'll have to meet up with you two later." She explained causing the pinkette to look deep in her eyes as she asked hesitantly,

"So does that mean you two, you know figured it out?" Hinata could only sigh in disappointment, "No but we're close, really close but for now we'll just have to improvise." Hinata gave Sakura a small smile and Naruto looked at the girl he had been with for almost three years in concern. "Hinata-chan, are you absolutely sure you don't want me and Sakura there too?" He asked sternly. Hinata simply shook her head,

"No it's better if I show how strong I am on my own and once those bastards here the truth about your heritage, I'm sure they'll be forced to reconsider the next heiress, especially with the fact that if they chose me we'll technically have three seats on the council, your dads, the Uzumaki and the Hyuga clans." She explained calmly and then with one last goodbye disappeared in a dark blue flash. Sakura gasped and then turned to Naruto but before she could inquire, the blonde hastily picked her up into his arms and before Sakura could blink they were standing in front of the Hokage tower,

"Yeah we figured that one out at least," he said smugly while still holding her close. She flushed and let herself down, while crossing her arms she made her way into the building, "Well don't think you're the only one with new tricks, I've been training too, you know." Naruto grinned and sprinted to catch up to pinkette and held the door open. Surprised by his gesture she let herself in and waited for the blonde. She took his hand and said, "I want to learn that too," Sakura almost whispered but this caused the blonde to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny BAKA!" Naruto managed to calm himself and then winced at the pain coursing through his firmly gripped hand, "It's just not that easy Sakura-chan, each individual user has to have their seal specifically coated to match their chakra. Then you have to make multiple seals and spread them all over where you want to be able to go. I sent in a hoard of shadow clones to cover the entire village before we even met up. It's actually a wonder you ran into the real me first and besides a pink flash seriously." Naruto chuckled again and Sakura's temper reached new limits,

"Naruto Uzumaki-baka I'll have you know I've learned my fair share of Fuinjutsu and how dare you make fun of my hair you damn baka!" She shouted and then immediately began chasing him down while the blonde could only grin as he thought, "Same old Sakura-chan,' he chuckled while doing his best to avoid his soulmate's volatile temper. It wasn't five minutes later when Naruto burst through Lady Tsunade's door and bumped into a couple of old friends,

"Hey Shika, what's up?" The blonde spotted the sand kunoichi next to him and then chuckled slyly while bumping his comrade in the chest, "I see you've been making progress, huh Shikamaru." Shikamaru internally chuckled but chose to scoff instead, "That jutsus defective, she's way too troublesome for me to take most of the time." Naruto grinned but then an ominous presence filled the room, "What was that Nara!?" Temari shouted and then the son of the Fourth heard an all too familiar voice shout, "Uzumaki!" Naruto and Shikamaru started sweating but before they could do a thing they heard both of their partners shout.

"Baka!" The next thing the two friends knew they we're on the ground rubbing their heads while Temari and Sakura looked at them angrily. Tsunade sighed and that's when the young blonde chunin heard a cry. He looked around the room and spotted his godfather playing with two small children, over by the couch that was stationed near the side of the room. Naruto jumped to his feet and walked over to his Ero-sensei, "Wow Pervy Sage, I can't believe you two actually pulled that off being as ancient as you are," he said before picking up the younger twin Anzu. Tsunade had a vein on her forehead and actually yelled at this point,

"Naruto you're trying my patience, now did you get stronger on your trip with this pervert or did he spend the whole time doing the one thing he's not allowed to do anymore?" The slug princess inquired while turning her glare toward Jiraiya. The blonde grinned that classic Uzumaki grin and gave a poise, "Believe it Ba-chan, the old pervert behaved himself well enough and I learned a bunch of new jutsu." Tsunade's expression shifted into a small smile, "Ok then, you two should have no problem taking on an old friend then. Get in here Kakashi!" The man with over a thousand jutsu appeared in the window sill and announced his presence with a simple,

"Yo." "Kakashi-sensei, so you're my opponent," Naruto said happily. The jounin chuckled before walking over toward his blonde student, "Yeah you and… you Sakura," he said while pointing at the pinkette. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other in surprise for a moment before sharing a foxy grin and then faced their sensei with determined expressions, "You're screwed sensei," Naruto stated confidently. "Naruto-kun always keeps his word sensei so I'm inclined to believe him, cha!" Sakura added while cracking her knuckles. Kakashi chuckled before telling them where to meet him and disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto picked Sakura back up into his arms but before he could vanish Shikamaru put a hand on his shoulder gaining his attention,

"When the time comes we'll save them together, ok Naruto," The Nara said solemnly. Naruto and Sakura smiled and nodded and with that they were gone, disappearing in an orange flash of light. Naruto and Sakura managed to arrive a few minutes before their old sensei and spent the time talking about what had happened since the blonde baka's departure. Sakura told the blonde how new teams had been constructed shortly after, considering that at least one member from the rookie teams was now mia as well as their old friend Gaara's promotion to Kazekage. Naruto was happy for Gaara but couldn't stop himself from wishing that he was becoming a Kage as well. When she told him that after Kakashi-sensei and Shizune started getting serious Gai had even found himself a girlfriend it made Naruto wonder who was crazy enough to handle his flames of youth and bushy eyebrows.

Just when the conversation was dying down and Naruto and Sakura started a few rounds of light kissing, their old jonin appeared right in front of them resulting in them both screaming in fright. Sakura got to her feet flustered and embarrassed, deciding to attempt to pound the gray haired shinobi into next week. Naruto chuckled and got up as well but before their spar could actually start the blonde couldn't help but think in worry, 'I hope everything goes according to plan Hinata-hime, all that I want is for you and Sakura-chan to be safe.' "Come on Naruto let's get started," Kakashi said with a now well defined bump on his head. Naruto grinned that foxy grin of his and shouted, "Alright Sakura-chan let's do this!" Sakura smiled and replied, "Right." The three remaining members of Team 7 got ready for combat, in just a few moments the second bell test would finally begin.

* * *

Meanwhile Hinata was making her way into her clan's main chamber where she would contest the decision of the next heiress. She finally entered the room to see several of the elders as well as a few branch members standing guard. She recognized Neji but knew she couldn't greet him at the moment and simply took a seat on the ground next to her younger sister. "Hinata Uzumaki, we have decided to have your younger sister take over as heiress to the clan based on the simple fact that the girl is stronger than you. Not to mention the fact that you've been fated to be a whore for a clan less demon while your sister has been paired with the grandson of the Third Hokage. Based on these simple facts we revoke your first born right as the next..."

The elder stopped when he felt the killer intent radiating from the girl he was insulting and even heard a deep chuckle. He turned his head to Hiashi but eerily enough he was laughing as well, "Funny elders because I can dispute both of those claims." "What are you blabbering about Hinata!" An elder yelled, causing Hinata to smirk and raise her left hand, "Naruto-kun's full name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the only son of the Fourth Hokage. You know it's actually really funny that the clan that supposedly has the best vision couldn't even figure out that simple truth." The elders were stunned and then looked to Hiashi again who simply nodded confirming his daughter's words, although it wasn't like they could deny the symbol that was embedded in her hand.

"It still doesn't matter Hanabi is still stronger than you," another elder tried to protest but Hinata just grinned. "Then I challenge Hanabi for the right to remain heiress, you know I don't really know why you're still trying to fight against this when you know I've been with Master Jiraiya for the last few years." Hinata got to her feet as did her sister and got ready for a spar that would decide which one would be cast out of the main house and branded with the Bird Cage Seal. Hanabi was overconfident, she had always defeated her sister before and although she felt bad for Hinata that wasn't going to hold her or her clan back,

"Sorry Hinata but I'm going to win, like I always have." Hinata only sighed, "I'm sorry too Hanabi but I promise…" Hanabi blinked and lost sight of her sister, "That I'm going…" The younger Hyuga turned around ready to strike but when she did Hinata disappeared in a puff of smoke, 'Where is she, how can I not find her?' Hanabi thought, "That I will save our clan and save you, **Eight Trigrams - Sixteen Palms, Thirty-two Palms, Sixty-four Palms!**" Hanabi fell to the ground in pain and looked up at her elder sister in shock,

"How? How did you master it?" Hinata smiled, "Well it's honestly thanks to Neji and Naruto-kun, Sakura too since she discovered the shadow clone justu's secret. It gave me plenty of experience and time to practice," she finished calmly. Hanabi snarled, "Well don't think I'm done just because you blocked my chakra!" Hinata sighed again as Hanabi came charging in and she threw a kunai that the younger Hyuga was barely able to dodge. Suddenly Hinata managed to escape Hanabi's sight once again and the last thing she remembered was looking up at her sister who had caught her in her arms. Hinata sighed before laying the unconscious Hanabi on the ground and then scowled at the Hyuga elders,

"Since Hanabi isn't even a shinobi yet and Konohamaru is just genin, I see no reason why you should place the seal on her." "And why is that?!" An elder barked out but Hinata maintained her composure, "Because if you're lucky enough, I'll die out in the field and you can still have the heir you want," she replied coldly. "Until then you can all go screw yourselves for all I care," where Hinata's last word before she vanished in a blur leaving the Hyuga council stunned. Hinata landed on the roof of the compound and sighed, this was a dangerous game she was playing but it looked like the elders wouldn't be a problem for now at least. Hinata let out another breath before thinking, 'Even if we figure out how to break that damn seal, how are we going to get it passed the elders thick heads, damn it! Oh well I can't worry about that now, let's see if I can find Naruto-kun and Sakura,' "**Byakugan!**" Hinata managed to spot her comrades with her incredible vision and then suddenly vanished in another dark blue flash.

* * *

Meanwhile in the deserts village of Sunagakure, the current Kazekage was currently looking out at his village, "You should really come inside, you have a meeting with the council soon." Garra turned around to a girl he had trained personally and had turned out to be his soulmate, "Matsuri do you know why I became Kazekage?" The girl simply shook her head causing the Kazekage to sigh,

"When I was young I convinced myself what the villagers always told me. That I was a monster unworthy of loving or being loved by someone and for a long time I blindly followed that path." Matsuri shuddered remembering the horror stories that she was told but cupped Gaara's face and looked at him closely, "What changed, if I may ask." The sand jinchuuriki's eyes looked deep into hers as he replied, "I meant a young shinobi that taught me that we are who we choose to be. I've never told you this but you have no idea how happy I was that you chose me that day to be your sensei and even if I didn't know it at first I'm glad you felt the same thing for me that I feel for you." Matsuri leaned into Gaara as she replied,

"You still had to go through that stupid jutsu just to figure out what you actually felt for me Lord Kazekage," she started smugly. Before Gaara could reply she continued, "But I'm happy that you did because Kami knows I wouldn't have had the confidence to approach you myself." The leader of the sand showed a rare smile but unfortunately for the pair they were interrupted, "Um Lord Kazekage, sorry to interrupt but seriously the council wants you now," Kin said and Kankuro added,

"Yeah lil bro it's time and the old geezers are getting angry." Gaara sighed but released Matsuri and proceeded to follow his brother and his soulmate. Before he got too far though Matsuri spun him around and pulled his lips down for a chaste kiss. After she released him she looked at him while red in the face, "You're Gaara, my Gaara, my soulmate, my Kazekage, and my love, nothing more and definitely nothing less." The red haired jinchuuriki shared that rare smile with her again but before leaving her on the balcony he said, "And you're my Matsuri, my student, my love, and my Lady Kaze."

* * *

Back in the Hidden Leaf, Naruto and Sakura were getting ready to retake the same bell test that they had completed when they first formed Team 7. Unbeknownst to them Hinata had appeared next to Tsunade and Jiraiya who were hiding nearby, "Do you want to join them, you can if you want?" Tsunade said but Hinata simply shook her head, "This is for them and I think Kakashi wouldn't stand much of a chance against all three of us. This is fair," she replied, content on watching the show with sannin. "Alright Sakura-chan, what do you think?" Naruto asked, causing Sakura to smirk and whisper something into Naruto's ear. The blonde eagerly nodded like the damn fool he was,

"Yeah Sakura-chan that might work but let me set the field first." Sakura looked at him confused but shrugged her shoulders and with that Naruto leapt into the air, "I'll have to thank Tenten for this idea." He said while whipping out a scroll and suddenly shouted, "**Unsealing Jutsu!**" Dozens of kunai rained down on the jonin but just as he was about to dodge the earth underneath him gave way from the forceful punch Sakura had delivered to it. Suddenly he saw Naruto diving for him at full speed but when he went to slice the blonde while dodging the oncoming kunai he disappeared in a puff of smoke, "Shit, Shadow Clone!"

Suddenly he felt a disturbance beneath him and to his side, barely managing to dodge the pinkette who emerged from the earth beneath him and the blonde chunin who had suddenly appeared to his right in a bright orange flash. Kakashi managed to back away just in time and chuckled, "So Sakura you've learned some new jutsu and you Naruto, you actually managed to figure out your father's Flying Thunder God technique." Naruto chuckled while Sakura smiled smugly, "Yeah but Hinata was the one who managed to figure out all the kinks but man it's a cool jutsu, believe it sensei." Kakashi looked on proudly before reading himself and uncovering his sharingan,

"Alright then time for round two." Naruto immediately shouted, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**. Alright boys charge!" The near two thousand clones charged the jonin but Kakashi struck them down one by one until there were only a few hundred left, barely missing a hard right by Sakura, he kicked her into the air only to have the original catch her in mid flight. The blonde whispered something into her ear which made her face burn red but she nodded nonetheless. The rest of Naruto's clones formed three man squads and they all began forming chakra. Before Kakashi realized they were several Naruto's coming his way shouting,

"**Giant Rasengan Barrage!**" Kakashi just barely managed to escape serious injury but he did take a few hits to his back and arms. With that Kakashi decided it best to use stealth but the blonde had a counter, "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" He created another wave of clones and had them transform into birds and flying insects. They found him in no time and he once again was hit by a Rasengan Barrage. After landing from the attack he was kicked in the face by Sakura and was sent flying on his back. He got to his feet and met an indescribable horror. Sakura was standing over him smugly and then pointed behind her.

The jonin looked on and almost burst out in tears. There was his prized collection of smut, currently being shoveled onto a decent sized fire with the blonde jinchuuriki laughing cynically the whole way. "No! Stop Naruto, Shizune-chan said I could keep it as long as I never touched it again, please stop!" Naruto knocked him away with the shovel and simply replied, "Sorry, but by order of Lady Ba-chan, all the smut in the village must be destroyed effective immediately sensei." Naruto replied calmly and went back to work while Kakashi fell to his knees in despair, "Kami no, please no, **Kai**, Kami **Kai Release!**"

The next time the pervert woke up the fire was gone and his two students stood their smugly the bells securely in their hands. "How does it feel to be under a horrible genjutsu sensei," Sakura said in victory, remembering how Kakashi had tricked her the first time around. "Wow, sensei congrats on you and Shizune by the way, next you'll be telling me all of the jonin senseis hooked up too while we were gone," he chuckled, causing Sakura and Kakashi to sweat drop, the foolish blonde not knowing how right he was considering Asuma and Kurenai's current relationship as well as Gai and his girlfriend. Kakashi got to his feet and congratulated his students, "It looks like Team 7 is back in action and until we get Sasuke back we'll need a fourth member." He started and then looked to the woods,

"Hinata I assume you want to join us?" Kakashi asked the Hyuga princess who nodded and said, "Yeah, as much as I'd love to join back up with Kiba and Shino, apparently Fu took my spot while we were gone and until we get everyone back it wouldn't feel right to have Team 8 back together when Teams 7 and 10 are still missing members." Naruto and Sakura looked down in sadness at the mention of their friends but it jogged Sakura's memory and she made a mental note to tell them about her trip to Uzugakure once they got home. Kakashi took this moment to disappear while Hinata comforted her two closest people,

"Come on you two, it's been far to long since we've had dinner at Ichirakus," she explained causing the two Uzumakis to stubbornly nod and with that the Hyuga princess took their hands and lead them to their favorite restaurant. It wasn't ten minutes later that the trio's spirits were lifted by the delicious noodles and unexpectedly they were greeted by an old friend, "Iruka-sensei!" The blonde wailed out and then dove into the man's chest. The trio had a long conversation with their old academy teacher before the blonde threw down a wad of ryo and announced quite loudly,

"Alright my feisty cherry blossom and my sweet moonlight it's time to see how my old apartment is doing!" He shouted in excitement but before he got too far he felt two different hands on his shoulders. He turned around to meet Hinata and Sakura's smiling faces and couldn't help but blush, "Sorry Naruto-kun but you don't exactly live there anymore." Sakura explained with a smile which made the blonde's jaw drop, "What are you talking about Sakura-chan? What the hell do you mean?" The girls leaned into his chest and Hinata simply said, "Meet us on top of the monument, ok." The Hyuga princess grabbed Sakura and the pair vanished in a blur leaving the blonde confused but he complied nonetheless quickly following after Hinata using his father's old jutsu.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Suna, the village was currently enjoying a peaceful night, that was until several explosions devastated several nearby buildings. The Kazekage awoke and rushed out to do battle but just before he left on his sand he was stopped by Matsuri pulling him down for another liplock, "Please come back Lord Kazekage." Gaara nodded solemnly as he said, "I promise Lady Kaze." With that he took to the sky to meet Deidara who was standing comfortably on his bird made of clay.

The unknown nin identified himself as Deidara of the Akatsuki and told him of his objective to capture him. Gaara refused and the two engaged in a brutal battle but when Deidara decided to attack the village directly and the Kazekage had no choice but to protect his people. He used all of his chakra, as much sand as he could control and shielded the city from the Akatsuki's merciless assault but at the cost of victory. He started to fall from the sky but Deidara managed to catch him and then sped off in the night, leaving Suna wounded and Kageless.

Meanwhile Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze appeared on his father's head overseeing the village, he looked at it fondly for a moment before hearing, "Naruto-kun." He turned around to see Sakura and Hinata and smiled at them before saying, "You know I always forget how beautiful it is up here." They flushed but Sakura spoke as well, "Naruto-kun, well the reason we stopped sending payments to your landlord was simple, you see Hinata planned something for you. It just took literally years to get the ryo and work needed done. Luckily Kakashi-sensei knew a guy who somehow knew wood release, really lucky for us actually." Sakura explained calmly.

"You see Naru-kun unfortunately most of your parents' belongings including their home were destroyed when the nine-tails attacked so I decided that eventually we would need, well…" Hinata added. "Umm where are you two going with this?" the blonde shinobi questioned, somewhat irritated that his life long home had been so easily forgotten. "Well this," Sakura replied and then shoved a small piece of paper laced with a seal onto his chest. Naruto looked down in confusion and then up to Sakura to inquire and that's when he spotted the gigantic structure standing behind the two kunoichi.

Sakura and Hinata giggled at his perplexed face and each took one of his hands and led him toward the short trail that eventually led to the entrance. Once inside the girls managed to haul the comatose blonde over to the dining room and sat him on a chair. It was when he finally got a good bonk by Sakura that he eventually regained consciousness and managed to mouth out, "What is this?" Sakura smiled and pointed to Hinata who was red in the face,

"I knew you didn't have your own compound Naruto-kun so I decided to build the three of us a home but I never thought it'd actually get done before we became jonin," she managed to sputter out. Naruto's jaw was still open in shock so Sakura stepped in, "Like I said earlier Naruto-kun it took a long time but now you finally have the home you always deserved, it has two master bedrooms, seven spair rooms for any kids we may have. Five bathrooms as well as a huge kitchen, dining room and two living rooms. Plus a lot of other stuff so since you have so many rooms we were both wondering?"

"If we could start living with you?" Hinata blurted out red in the face. Naruto was still in shock but managed to respond, "Of course Hinata-hime, Sakura-hime I don't mind I'm just in shock. You guys really planned all this for me?" Sakura smiled again, "This was Hinata's idea but like with all of our gifts to you we both had a hand in putting it together, ok Naru-kun." She teased. Naruto grinned, "Seriously thank you Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan you have no idea what this means to me but then he frowned remembering something,

"Hinata-chan did everything go ok at the meeting?" Hinata nodded and told the pair how it went which made the trio feel relieved at the fact they had bought themselves some time and prevented Hinata from being branded. They sat in silence for a few moments before Sakura took in a breath and said, "Now listen very carefully you two I have something important I need to tell you too." Naruto and Hinata looked at the pinkette with curiosity and she explained what had happened during her visit to the old Whirlpool Village. After hearing the tale the Namikazes were even more worried about their friends but Hinata couldn't help but notice the similarities between Sasuke and Naruto.

"Sakura, what exactly was the date when that happened?" "February 19th, last year if I remember correctly which made Hinata gasp and Naruto sigh. "What the hell happened Naruto-kun, I know when you're lying and I know you remember what happened that day, so talk!" The Hyuga princess actually demanded. "Wait, what are you talking about?" Sakura asked but Hinata looked at her and said, "It happened to Naruto too, when Jiraiya-sensei tried to loosen the fox's seal, the same thing happened to Naruto-kun and my hand was in pain too just like yours and this all happened on the same day!" Hinata turned back to Naruto,

"So I'll ask again, what happened?" Naruto could only sigh again in a look of utter defeat and informed his two soulmates of what had happened that fateful day. "So that's basically it, Sasuke and I are the reincarnations of some asshole brothers that are so pissed at each other that even when they die they are just reborn into the world over and over again. It seems to have all started back with old man Sage of Six Paths and his kids but who really knows what the truth is." He finished calmly and then looked at the two girls who possessed dumbfounded looks. Sakura eventually asked,

"You realize that in the end, that regardless of what we are, regardless of what happened in the past, that we love you, right Naruto-kun." Naruto managed to smile at the pinkette, "And I love you Sakura-hime." He turned to Hinata who was still red in the face in anger that he had kept this a secret but eventually she said, "Sakura's right Naruto-kun, you may be Asura's reincarnation but you are Naruto and Asura is only a part of what makes you you and in the end Sakura and I love every bit of you, and yes that includes the nine-tails if we have to." Naruto started to shed a few tears but he quickly wiped them away,

"Thank you Hinata-hime, Sakura-hime, you have no idea how much all of this means to me. I was so worried that you two may not want to be with me anymore but hearing you two say that… I can't even describe how I'm feeling right now." He said while grinning shedding tears of happiness. Hinata and Sakura moved their chairs right next to the blonde, shared a smile and embraced him tightly while letting their blonde soulmate express his emotions. It was long after this the trio grew weary and for the first time in years they spent their night together as a family.

Meanwhile Kankurro had single handedly tracked down his brother and the two Akatsuki members but unfortunately he was no match for Sasori of the Red Sands superior puppeteering skill and alone he was left defeated and severely poisoned. Back in the Sand, Kin had been tasked to guard Lady Kaze but had managed to get a team sent after her boyfriend in meantime. The team managed to find the young puppet master still alive but Kin and Matsuri quickly realized they would need help from their allies and sent an emergency message to the Leaf's Hokage. The very next morning Team 7 now with Hinata were told of the tragedy and were immediately dispatched with Naruto more determined than ever to save one of his closest friends.

* * *

**AN**** \- ****Yeah sorry I'm a day late and chapter is definitely not my longest my longest sorry but I'll try to get the next one on time, promise and cover the entire rescue the Kazekage saga hopefully**

**We won't see the Uchiha's again until Tenichi bridge and I have my reasons sorry but probably at least two chapters till that**

**I made everything with Hyuga rules and clan stuff up, No Hinata and Naruto will not be the leaders of the Hyuga clan but for now it's best for them if HInata is still heiress and she doesn't get the seal and yeah I partnered Kono and Hanabi know he's a little older but it works with the story**

**Yeah I had Gai find someone, will revel eventually and yes he now does have a son you can even slightly blame his rivalry with Kakashi for that lol**

**Asuma and Kurenai got together quicker in this timeline, my reasons to fit the story I want to tell, the fact that they both had students leave albeit for different reasons, they can bond and relate even more over that**

**Gaara/Matsuri is like Gaara's most popular girl like I said it was gonna be obvious**

**Yeah bell test was fun Kakashi was so distressed he couldn't even figure out it was genjutsu lol and yeah Hinata and Naruto together figured out the Flying Thunder God**

**Yeah new teams had to be made so yeah Fu joined up with Team 8 while Hinata was gone**

**Response to reviews: Gunner you're absolutely right I fucked up lol, shit that annoyed me but I do want Sasuke and Karin to kinda have that similar backstory where their families were wiped out and I already changed Karin's past so why not a little more. We'll say it was destroyed at the same time as in cannon but some survivors including Karin's mother later returned and they were in the process of trying to rebuild but were attacked again when Karin was a child and her and her mother were the only ones to escape and where the only survivors that shouldn't screw too much up hopefully lol.**

**Like always I hope you all enjoyed at least a little lol and hope you all had a Happy Easter so until next time I wish you all the best, goodbye**


	20. A Mission to Save the Sand

Disclaimer: Going to have a disclaimer for every new chapter and fic starting now just because I feel it's the right thing to do lol so Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto not me.

**Chapter 20 - A Mission to Save the Sand**

* * *

March 2nd, 67 AFL

The sun was barely in the sky when the members of Team Kakashi found themselves standing in front of the Hokage's desk. They were quickly informed of the situation in the Sand Village and Lady Tsunade quickly tasked them with the important mission of providing support to their allies. Considering the fact that the Akatsuki had been the ones responsible for the attack and kidnapping of the Kazekage so it wasn't very surprising that before they left they were greeted by some of their most precious people.

The old toad sage, Lady Tsunade and even Iruka had come to give their farewells while wishing them luck. However it wasn't long before Jiraiya pulled the Uzumaki-Namikaze heir to the side and reminded him, "Naruto… I know you haven't told me everything about what happened that day, but for now I'll trust you to reveal the truth to me when you're ready." The blonde nodded in agreement although he wasn't wearing his usual foxy grin while the sage continued explaining,

"Remember that the Akatsuki are after the fox that's sealed inside of you. They don't give a damn about Naruto Uzumaki and for all we know they could have a way to detect and track tailed beast chakra." Naruto looked up to his master who was wearing the expression that the blonde knew meant the old man was serious. "Never use the fox's chakra unless it's a life or death scenario and no matter what, never tap into that other power inside of you, you know what I mean." The blonde's face held one of understanding that quickly shifted into his regular smile,

"Got it Pervy Sage, I'll just rely on my own power, after all I'm going to be the strongest Hokage someday and I want to do it with my strength." He gave his master a thumbs up and turned to Iruka, "Iruka-sensei thanks for seeing us off, you were the first one who I felt truly believed in my dream and soon I promise I'll make you proud, believe it!" He snickered a little before adding, "Oh and have fun with Ayame-oneechan." Naruto turned to the last person and snickered again, "See you later too Ba-chan and have fun with the old man."

A tick mark appeared on the Hokage's forehead but before she could violently reply the blonde grabbed Sakura and Hinata's hands and took off down the trail. "Bye Shisho, I promise I'll make you proud too," Sakura managed to blurt out before they could get too far. "Bye, we'll get Gaara back, you know we haven't been training for nothing," Hinata managed to say before the trio finally disappeared from view. The two members of the sannin as well as Iruka turned to Kakashi and simply asked him to look after the trio before he took his leave. Tsunade couldn't help but ask,

"Are you two worried about them?" Iruka simply shook his head, "They're not kids anymore and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they had all surpassed me by now." This caused the elderly woman to smile but when she looked at her partner she realized he was still anxious about something, "What's wrong Jiraiya?" The sage shook his head, "Nothing hime, it's not important, now let's go. I think Shizune is probably ready for a break." Tsunade knew there was still something on his mind but she let it go for now, if worse came to worse she could just get it out of him with some sake.

At around the exact same time, the elder brother of the Kazekage was finally found by the Sand's elite shinobi and was taken back to the village for immediate medical care. The young man was unconscious, his wounds were minor but he had been severely poisoned with little chance of a cure in sight. Ironically while Kankuro fought for his life, across the desert, his brother was at the mercy of his kidnappers.

"Sasori, my man, I thought you hated to keep people waiting," Diedera asked with amusement, ever evident in his tone. Sasori growled before replying, "I do and we've wasted enough time already so let's go so we can start hunting down my target." Deidera frowned, "But Sasori we don't know where it is?" Sasori chuckled at little as the two finally began moving toward the hidden base where they would contact their allies and extract the bijuu sealed inside of the Kazekage, "Then we'll just capture whichever one we find first, I'm sure the others won't mind as long as we collect them all in the end."

* * *

Later that day Team Kakashi was traveling at a breakneck pace but the blonde jinchuuriki of the group couldn't help but continue to increase his speed. Finally Sakura reached her limit in both patience and stamina. Shouting, sounding more winded than angry she asked, "Naruto-kun please slow down a little, we don't have as much stamina as you do remember." She managed to spurt out which caused the blonde to huff but begrudgingly compiled, slowing his pace just a hare.

This only lasted a few moments however before his speed increased yet again and Hinata was forced to remind him, "Naruto-kun if we wear ourselves out before we even get their we won't have any energy left to save Gaara, let alone take down an Akatsuki member," she explained but that actually caused the blonde to snarl, "Naruto, didn't Jiraiya-sama teach you better what do you think you're…"

"Temari!" Hinata suddenly shouted and true enough there was the blonde sand kunoichi walking down the road and completely unaware of the state her brothers were in although she had experienced a bad omen earlier that day. They quickly explained the situation to Temari with Kakashi finishing with, "We have to hurry, we're still two and halfs days from Sunagakure and I fear the more time we waste the worse things are going to get." After overcoming her initial shock the blonde sand princess wholeheartedly agreed and joined Team Kakashi in their race to her home village.

It was only a few hours later when night fell upon the group and Naruto couldn't help but reflect on his first encounter with the Akatsuki. As he did his anger began to swell again and his pace erratically rose as he skyrocketed ahead of the group yet again. "Naruto-kun what did I say earlier," Sakura started in annoyance but that just caused the blonde to finally explode and release his pent up aggression, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I know, but I hate his crap with every fiber of my being. I can't take it anymore, all these bastards want are the demons that are sealed inside of us. They don't see us as people, we're things, objects, tools, weapons, that's the only thing those bastards care about!" Naruto sighed but eventually his rant continued,

"Ever since I found out the truth about myself I resented the fact that the Spirit of the Fox was sealed inside of me but even the bijuu appear to be living creatures. Even the nine-tails has a proper name and it's obvious to anyone that we're separate entities but no matter what the truth was I was still only ever seen as the demon brat and had to work my ass off to be acknowledged as anything but a monster even in my own damn village." The blonde chuckled a little and turned back to face the rest of the team while wearing an odd smile,

"I wasn't lying the day that I defeated Gaara, without you Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and even Sasuke-teme I have little doubt that I would have ended up just like he did. He and I share such a similar past but he had to suffer in the darkness far longer than I ever did and now…" The blonde turned to face forward again hiding a single tear, "And now just when he finds that light, that happiness, just after becoming Kazekage those bastards try to steal it all away from him! I'm not going to let them get away with this anymore. I'll show them the truth, that even though we were born jinchuuriki it doesn't mean we deserve to live in misery. That's why we have to hurry, so I can save him and make those bastards pay for what they've done!"

The shinobi behind the blonde followed him in silence for a few minutes before Kakashi decided to finally speak, "I understand Naruto but we do need to rest," he explained, dropping into a small clearing the kunoichi following close behind. Naruto huffed but followed their lead and sat down next to Sakura and Hinata at the base of a tree. Temari found her own spot to rest and Kakashi took first watch. After a few moments Hinata actually managed to drift off into a state of slumber but Naruto and Sakura were still wide awake, though neither could find what words to say. Out of nowhere the blonde finally spoke,

"So how bad was it?" "How bad was what?" Sakura replied, confused by Naruto's random question. The jinchuuriki sighed before asking again, "How badly were you treated by the villagers while Hinata and I were away?" Sakura could tell there was gult written over his face though he wasn't wrong. Demon whore and fox skank were common names and just like Naruto had been treated before most of the village's stores refused to serve her anything and if they did the price would be totally ridiculous. Sakura debated lying to the blonde to spare his feelings but knew that wasn't a wise choice.

She sighed before forcing the blonde into a hug, his head nestled tightly to her chest which luckily for Sakura actually put the smallest of grins on the baka's red face. "It wasn't fun if that's what you're asking but being the Hokage's apprentice means it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be. I'd be lying though if it didn't hurt just a little bit," she managed to chuckle a little and then looked down into his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry," he managed to say as he shed a tear and looked away from her. "It's ok we're going to prove them wrong, isn't that right Naruto-kun," she replied with a small smile and tear of her own.

"I don't know Sakura-chan, you know if we're going to be restarting the Uzumaki clan then one day we'll probably be forced to…" Sakura's light laughter stopped the blonde mid sentence and he looked at her oddly. "I know Naru-kun, one day… one day when you're old and grey, the village we'll want to seal the fox in one of our descendants. I've known that since our genin days baka," she said. Naruto had shock written on his face that shifted to guilt just as quickly and could only repeat again," I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Sakura just chuckled again and held him tightly while rubbing his cheek, "Baka, it's okay. I admit it's not the best thing in the world but together with Hinata we can make sure that whoever we have to choose has all the love and affection in the world."

The jinchuuriki finally smiled at the pinkette and kissed her lightly causing her to giggle but then she spotted something in the distance and her expression shifted into a mischievous grin. "Naruto-kun, look over there," she said while pointing upwards toward the tree tops. Naruto looked on and snickered a bit before looking back to the cherry blossom, "Are we really that evil Sakura-chan?" He asked in a foxy grin. Sakura's devish smile only deepened as she replied with, "Yes."

Meanwhile Kakashi was busy reading one of his holy forbidden texts, doing his best to sneakily hide from his comrades. He suddenly felt a surge of wind from his right and was forced to close his good eye for only a moment. He looked back to his novel and screeched in horror, "No, I must have dropped it." The perverted jonin flew to the ground and uncovered his sharingan trying his best to locate his lost treasure. What he failed to notice were the two members of Team 7 chuckling behind a tree, Kakashi's smut securely in hand. Naruto and Sakura finished their fun by carefully placing the book in the Sand kunoichi's sleeping hands and returning to their original position underneath the tree Hinata was under. They finally entered a state of rest thankful that they were able to relieve at least a little stress before they would have to move out again.

* * *

March 3rd, 67 AFL

Back in the Sand, in the early hours of the morning, "He's regaining consciousness," a sand medic said that was quickly followed by, "Out of my way, let me see him, Kankuro, Kankuro-kun are you alright? Who did this to you?" Kankuro looked at Kin and coughed a little before managing to barely sputter out, "Sasori, Sasori of the Red Sand." The sand shinobi succumbed to the toxin yet again and it wasn't long after before he slipped into another state of pain and delirium.

Later that day Team Kakashi along with Temari were still on their way to the Sand Village. Suddenly Sakura asked, "So what do we know about these bastards?" It was Hinata who replied with a solemn look, "So far, the only members that we know about are Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigake, the two we met three years ago. That and their after all the tailed beast, the nine-tails included and they'll stop at nothing to collect them all. At least that's what Jiraiya-sensei told us." Sakura nodded while Naruto snarled,

"Itachi, he's the one Sasuke was always on about killing, remember Sakura-chan." "Yes I do and remember Naruto-kun we only have until September before Orochimau is ready to take Sasuke's body. We have to make sure that we find them before that so we can help kill that snake and try to convince them to come home," the cherry blossom replied with conviction. Naruto and Hinata nodded in agreement and quickened their pace, hopeful that they would make it in time with only one thought dominating their minds, 'Sasuke, Ino we promise this time we'll be there to help you.'

* * *

March 4th, 67 AFL

"It's no good, I've tried everything but nothing's working," an elderly woman said sadly which caused the black haired kunoichi to respond in anger, "What the hell do you mean you can't cure it. I thought you were the best healer in the Sand Village!" Chiyo scowled at the young kunoichi, "My expertise is in creating deadly poisons not curing them. I'm sure that old slug queen Tsunade could do it but it's not likely she'll be coming along so I'm sorry to say this but you should be prepared for the worst."

The old woman left the pair alone in the room, the kunoichi doing anything she could think of to ease Kankuro's pain. Unbeknownst to them Team Kakashi had finally reached the desert and with Temari taking point it wouldn't be more than another day before they reached Suna. In another location several miles away Deidera and Sasori had finally reached their hidden base and had made contact with their purple eyed leader. He quickly called the Akatsukis other members and together they started to extract the bijuu from the Kazekage. Slowly but surely Shukaku's chakra was extracted and sealed into a giant statue that their leader had summoned. The process would take several hours while Gaara could do nothing but sit in agony and pain.

It was during these first few hours of toruture that the Hokage managed to meet up with Team Gai and she quickly dispatched them to provide reinforcements for Team Kakashi. Unfortunately for Team Kakashi a violent sandstorm had hindered their progress, forced to take refuge in a cave the shinobi all hoped the natural disaster would pass sooner rather than later. Sakura was currently studying some sort of medical scroll while Kakashi dug frantically through his supplies hoping against hope he had simply misplaced his precious.

He was completely unaware that Temari had woken up with the novel in her very hands and noticing it was one of the few she had yet to collect, she had stealthily hidden it in her bag without saying a word. Naruto Uzumaki was currently standing by the cave's entrance, every few moments he would let out a low growl as if attempting to scare the storm away. Eventually the Hyuga of their group couldn't ignore her love's obvious anger at their current situation and decided she needed to try and comfort him. She walked over slowly and started by stroking his whiskered cheek before saying,

"I know Naruto-kun, believe me I feel the same way you do but traveling in this mess would be near impossible," she explained sweetly. The blonde turned to face her and Hinata saw red in his eyes before they reverted back to ocean blue. Naruto sighed before surprising the Hyuga heiress with a giant hug, "I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I know but I'm just so angry and being stuck like this is pissing me off even more." Hinata cupped both of his cheeks after he released her, she looked at him sweetly, chuckled a little and said,

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, we'll reach the Suna by tomorrow and then we'll save Gaara together. Then we'll beat those Akatsuki bastards and show them not to mess with us." The jinchuuriki returned her sincere smile with one of his own before grabbing her hands and held them tightly while facing her. "Thanks Hinata-chan, I'll try to calm down a bit, I just wish I had something to distract me a little, you know," Naruto replied but it was still clear to Hinata he was still on edge. She thought for a moment in sympathy, wishing she had some way to help his pain when an idea came to mind. She took a book out of her bag causing Naruto to ask her curiously,

"What is that hime? One of Pervy Sage's novels." The blonde snickered a little before adding, "I never thought you were into that kind of stuff," he continued while chuckling. Hinata looked at him fondly and then went back to the book, "This is one of Master Jiraiya's rarest novels. He gave it to me for my last birthday and I thought that maybe I could try reading it to you to keep your mind off all this crap," she explained. The blonde responded by chuckling again and sat down on the ground, mirroring an eager child ready for story time, "Sure as long as it's not loaded with Ero-sensei's usual crap." Hinata managed a giggle and simply started reading, "Alright Naruto-kun this is Tales of a Gutsy Ninja…"

* * *

March 5th, 67 AFL

It was early the next morning when the group finally made it to their destination. After being informed of the situation they quickly headed to Kankuro's side. Kin was frantic and Temari wondered where Matsuri was. Kin informed her that Lady Kaze had been in her room alone since Gaara's kidnapping and didn't really want to see anyone, she had definitely been the person most affected by Gaara's kidnapping. When Sakura finally started her medical examination the group was interrupted by an elderly woman shouting,

"White Fang prepare to die!" Naruto and Hinata moved in quickly and defended their sensei from the surprise attack, "What the hell are you doing old lady?" Naruto asked and Hinata added, "Yeah seriously we came to help you guys, remember." Sakura was oblivious to the attack on Kakashi being effectively in medical mode and giving her full attention to the patient. Thankfully the old woman stopped her assault when her brother grabbed her shoulder and reminded her the White Fang had been dead for years and she laughed a little before providing an apology.

Kakashi was explaining his connection to the White Fang when they all heard Sakura's findings, "It's a metal based poison that's destroying his cells at an incredible rate. At this point there's no way I'll be able to make an antidote in time." "You can't just give up, please, there's got to be something you can do," Kin replied frantically. Sakura looked at the girl who had attacked her and her team nearly three years ago in the forest of death with slight anger at first from the memory but seeing the girl's genuine care and concern she let any resentment that was remaining fade away. The pinkette turned her attention back to her patient and said,

"Bring me some water and I'll see what I can do." Kin nodded and followed her order without hesitation. She returned shortly after and Sakura began her treatment, forcing the poison to the surface and extracting it with her chakra while Naruto and Hinata looked on amazed. It took awhile but eventually the cherry blossom succeeded in getting Kankuro out of critical condition, wiping the sweat off her forehead she quickly determined the ingredients she would need for an antidote and was escorted to the Sand's medical supply. Hinata decided to follow Sakura and help any way she could while Naruto lingered around with Kakashi. Old Lady Chiyo couldn't believe the young teenager's skill and wondered if her old rival had taught the girl, deciding to have a word with her later.

It was at this moment that a message arrived and it was revealed that Team Gai was on their way in order to provide them with back up. Kakashi was grateful for the extra help but knew that it would be near impossible to track the enemy down in time. His concerns were answered when Kankuro awoke from his slumber, "Kankuro-kun, are you alright? Can you hear me?" The sand shinobi nodded to his soulmate and then Chiyo asked, "Kankuro, was my grandson really the one that did this to you?" Kankuro nodded again and the elderly woman left the room without another word. Meanwhile the gray haired jonin walked up to the injured sand shinobi and asked,

"Kankuro do you know anyway that we can track them down?" The sand shinobi snickered a little, "I managed to get a piece of his clothing with one of my puppets, as long as they were recovered you should have everything you need." Without another Kakashi summoned his ninja hounds and sent them off in pursuit hoping against hope that they would find their enemies for them.

Meanwhile Hinata was content watching Sakura do her work and having a light conversation. Hinata mentioned the beautiful ring that Naruto had gotten her and explained its significance. Sakura was a little disappointed she wasn't asked first but figuring the blonde idiot would probably ask her when they got a chance to have a real date, she shrugged it off. Sakura was just adding the final ingredients when she heard the elderly woman she had met just a few hours ago say, "You remind me of that slug queen Tsunade, being able to cure a poison as deadly as this one."

Sakura smiled, pride in herself ever evident, "I'm one of Lady Tsunade's best pupils according to her and I've been training my ass for three years straight but we were really lucky. Another day and Kankuro would be dead." Sakura turned to Hinata, "We should get going, with the ingredients they had I was able to make three doses of antidote and Kankuro needs one now." Hinata nodded in agreement and started to follow her counterpart out of the room but stopped when she heard Chiyo ask, "Why do you care so much what happens to Suna and the Kazekage, you're not shinobi from this village. Why do we have to put all our faith in you?"

This caused Sakura and Hinata to chuckle a little which caused the elderly woman to become even more confused. "Truth be told Lord Kazekage tried to kill me twice and Hinata at least once. Honestly we really shouldn't care at all but Naruto-kun was able to save Gaara from his darkness as well as us when he defeated him three years ago and…" "And?" Chiyo inquired, curious what the girl would say. Sakura looked to the ground but she had a small smile on her face as she replied hesitantly, "I don't like seeing people in pain." She looked up and her determined eyes met the sand kunoichi's,

"That's the reason I became a medical shinobi because I hate having to see people suffer and die. I hate killing too even though it's a necessary evil that we as shinobi all have to accept but still I hate it and hope I'm never forced to take a life. After Naruto-kun killed Haku in the Land of Waves, he hid it well but I could see how much it devastated him inside. Even though they had only just met Naruto-kun considered him a friend and knowing that he had done the unthinkable to someone he cared for made him swear to himself that he would only take life as a last resort." Sakura eyes met the old woman's again who had a look of confusion mixed with shock,

"That's what makes us the shinobi that we are, that's our way of the shinobi and even if others think it makes weak we fight with the hope that one day we can live in a world where nobody has to die an unnecessary death. That's why Naruto-kun needs to become Hokage and why we have to save Gaara the current Kazekage." Sakura finished and exited the room leaving the woman to her thoughts. Hinata took one last look at Chiyo but before following the pinkette she said, "Lord Kazekage is one of Naruto-kun's closest friends, that's the reason we're here and and I promise that we will do everything in our power to save your village and your Kage." Hinata smiled and finished with,

"Besides like Sakura said Lord Gaara and Naruto-kun are friends and Naruto-kun would never abandon a friend who needs his help." Chiyo was left to her thoughts and reflected on what the two kunoichi had told her about themselves and Naruto. It wasn't long after that Sakura and Hinata made their way back to Kankuro's bedside and the pinkette quickly administered the medicine she had made. It would be a while before he was back to full health but the sand shinobi had been saved and after entrusting his brother to the blonde he quickly made his way back to sleep. Just as he did, Pakun returned and revealed that he had found the Akatsuki's location.

Kakashi ordered the group to rest for the night and the kunoichi made their way to the rooms the Sand had provided with the jinchuuriki following behind silently voicing his protest but maintaining some level of self control. The trio entered one of the bedrooms and talked like they usually did until the jonin rudely interrupted them, "Come on you two, go to your own room," he said and then looked around the room, "Very funny what did you do to my stuff?" Kakashi asked in annoyance and Hinata replied flatly, "In the other room."

"Why?" He asked again and this time Sakura was the one to answer with a kick to one of the beds that knocked it perfectly parallel to the other, "Because the three of us are sharing this room, You can have your own room all to yourself, that is unless you want to sleep right next to Naruto-kun, should have known all those books were just a cover. Oh and what is poor Shizune going to think of you sleeping right next to a teenage boy, you really are a total pervert sensei." Sakura said half teasingly, half threateningly.

Kakashi gave up, figuring it didn't really matter but then he got a devilish idea that caused him to giggle. Before he could even picture it in his mind he felt a chakra and killer intent so high he nearly collapsed. He turned around slightly and heard, "Don't even think for a second," he heard a cold voice say that sent shivers down his spine. "That anything will be happening before wedding day and even if it did," another voice just as dark and merciless uttered. "If we ever and I mean ever caught you doing what just came across that sick mind of yours," the first voice added.

"It will be the last thing that eye ever sees, OK!" Both voices suddenly roared causing the blonde in between them who was already hiding under the covers to yelp in fright and Kakashi to stand there stunned for a moment before nodding frantically like a dog and moving almost as fast as a Hirashin user from the door and slamming it shut. Sakura and Hinata looked at each other with satisfied smiles knowing they had won the argument about the room and had also prevented Kakashi from ever trying to peek on them but then looked to the covers finally noticing small whimpers coming from the spot between them.

The girls could only sigh knowing they had taken things a bit overboard to have the poor blonde in such a state. Realizing they had no choice but to lay next to him they did their best to assure the blonde that the "Scary Monsters," were all gone and not hiding anywhere in the room. They didn't fall asleep that night until Naruto checked under the bed twice just to make sure.

* * *

March 6th, 67 AFL

The next morning the jonin cautiously woke the trio and informed them that it was time to head out. Just a short while later they met up with Temari and a few other Sand shinobi. She wanted to aid them but was told that they were to patrol the border and let the Leaf nin handle it alone. She voiced her protestions loudly and openly but was silenced by the appearance of Lady Chiyo. She assured Temari that she would be tagging along with the group and that they would retrieve Gaara, besides she couldn't wait to see her grandson after such a long time.

Now the group was several miles out of Suna, quickly in pursuit of the missing Kage and in the middle of an intense discussion. "So how long do you think the Akatsuki have been after the bijuu?" Hinata asked and Kakashi replied, "At least three years, remember they came after Naruto while you three were busy looking for Tsunade." Sakura looked down in thought for a moment, 'What if?' she thought and then voiced her concerns,

"What if it's been even longer than that, remember what the Third Hokage told us, that an unknown party attacked the village and tried to release the nine-tails almost six-teen years ago," the pinkette explained making all heads turn to her, "If that's true Sakura then they've been planning this for decades but just what are they after. One bijuu is almost impossible to control let alone all nine," Kakashi replied.

"The Nine-Tailed Beast, terrifying creatures with near unlimited chakra that even when destroyed are reborn again into the world. They are practically immortal and the Five Great Nations have used them as weapons since the first Kage Summit. They are thought to have existed since the days of the Sage of Six Paths," Chiyo added. The same thoughts crossed the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio's, 'Immortal, destroyed, reborn, and Sage of Six Paths.'

Naruto was annoyed, annoyed they hadn't seen Gaara yet and annoyed that all these weird things went back to the Sage of Six Paths, 'Damit!' He thought in anger, 'What does it all mean, the tailed beast, Asura, Indra, and that damn Sage.' Just as he was about to leave the topic for a later date he heard a deep voice from within his head answer him, "Kit all I know is that the Old Man Six Paths created us and sent us off into the world. As for what Asura said, he and Indra were indeed the Sage's sons and considering the rivalry between the Senju and Uchiha I wouldn't be surprised if the whole reincarnation thing was true as well." Naruto was shocked he could hear the fox's voice so clearly in his head and replied without really thinking, if he could,

'Kurama, how the hell can you talk to me without me meditating into the seal?' Kurama actually emitted a sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and a snarl, "Naruto shut up and listen, I don't know how long the link will last or if it will go away at all but the man that forced me to attack the Leaf Village wore the same robes that Uchiha brat's brother had on as well as that shark freak. Our vixen is probably right, they definitely could of been a member of that stupid group that's trying to collect us like pets. Honestly with his chakra and visual prowess I thought he was Madara Uchiha at first but knowing what I know now that's impossible," Kurama explained and Naruto couldn't help but blurt out in rage,

'What the hell do you mean our vixen and why couldn't it have been Madara and are you absolutely sure you damn sneaky fox!' "Stupid brat, we share a body remember, your vixen is my vixen and I'll call her what I damn well please. As for why it couldn't have been Madara, if the reincarnation crap about you and that Uchiha brat is true then it would mean that Madara and Hashirama would of had to have been dead in order for Asura and Indra's souls to bond with yours,' the nine-tails explained. Naruto thought it over for a moment, 'Asura and Indra's souls had to separate from their current host in order to be reincarnated so when Hashirama and Madara died their direct link to Asura and Indra was severed and their spirits bonded with Sasuke and I at birth, is that right Kurama.'

The blonde waited patiently for a reply but when he got none he actually shouted out loud in anger, "Not now you stupid fox, you were actually telling me some good intel but now you go back to sleep in your cage when I actually was enjoying talking to you for once, fine screw you fox prick, believe it!" Enraged enough to use his old vocal tic, he failed to notice every member of their group staring at him with concern. He gave them a grin and assured them he was ok before their conversation started back up,

"Ok, so they're after all of the Bijuu. That means that Fu and Naruto-kun are the ones in the most danger right now. Do we know any other jinchuuriki besides Gaara, maybe if we can gather everyone up we can come up with some sort of plan. Every jinchuuriki that they grab is another potential comrade lost and as far as the enemies concerned a weapon for them," Hinata said. The group only shook their heads, signifying that the identities of the other jinchuuriki were a mystery to all of them. Sakura decided to try a different approach and asked, "Um Lady Chiyo, do you know anything else about the Bijuu or the Sage of Six Paths that could be of any help." The sand kunoichi shook her head once again, disappointing the pinkette but together with her comrades they pressed onward.

* * *

Meanwhile Team Gai was closing in and after receiving the location of the hideout from Pakun they marched on forward with haste. Unfortunately this was put to halt with a shinobi none of them recognized blocked their path, "Who are you?" Gai shouted with determination to find out the identity of this powerful opponent. "Wow, you really are just a stupid beast," Kisame replied with a sick grin. Their battle began in earnest and it wasn't long before the Akatsuki member gained the advantage, flooding the battlefield and using Water Clones to confuse the Leaf ninja.

When Team Gai thought they had finally found the real Kisame, their hopes were quickly dashed away when their target revealed itself to be only another clone. Kisame chuckled sickly again as he made fun of Team Gai's ineffective attacks, "This is pathetic, based on the last time we fought I thought you might actually give me a decent challenge." Gai responded by getting in close, trying to use the enemies own weapon against him but when he did the sword's hilt sent sharp spikes straight into his hands forcing the bushy browed jonin to drop it.

"Should have known using an infamilar weapon was a bad idea," Gai said and then turned back to the rogue shinobi, "I'm certain our flames of youth have never crossed before!" Kisame snickered again while Negi, Lee, and Tenten tried a combination attack but this resulted in them getting caught in separate Water Prisons. Gai pulled out his favorite weapon, his Nunchaku but against Kisame's sword skills he was in for the match of his life. Eventually the nuke nin got tired of this and shouted, "**Water Style - Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!**" Suddenly a large shark made solely of water tackled the Leaf jonin forcing him deep into the waters below. Kisame's assault was far from over however, he put his hand to the surface of the water and shouted again,

"**Water Style - Five Hungry Sharks!**" Not a second later five more sharks made of water emerged from the end of the Akatsuki member's fingers and dove down deep underwater hitting Gai with several brutal blows. The bushy browed sensei knew he had no choice and after a few moments Kisame felt an incredible chakra. He looked down toward where he sent Gai and managed to hear his opponent scream, "**Sixth Gate, Gate of Joy, Open!" **With six of the eight inner gates open Gai had achieved an incredible power and quickly attacked the rogue shinobi holding nothing back.

First he took down the Water Clones that were maintaining the Water Prisons his teammates were trapped in and then toward his real opponent. Kisame tried to put up a defense but against Gai's overwhelming chakra he stood little chance and was quickly defeated. Team Gai congratulated themselves but when they turned their heads back to their opponent Gai's jaw fell to the ground and he said, "I have definitely never met this man before."

* * *

Unbeknownst to them Team Kakashi had run into their own deadly enemy, "Look it's the discount teme!" Naruto said while the rest of his team gathered their own thoughts about facing such a terrifying and powerful opponent. "Naruto Uzumaki, you've grown up. So are you ready to come with me nine-tails?" Naruto scoffed at the Uchiha while Chiyo voiced her own thoughts, "Itachi Uchiha huh, it's been a long time since I faced the Sharingan. As long as we avoid his eyes and watch each other's backs we should be able to avoid his genjutsu." Kakashi shook his head,

"Itachi possesses Mangekyou Sharingan, it's far more powerful than the regular sharingan. I should know last time I went up against it I was trapped for three days. The only advantage that we have is that his jutsu takes up alot of chakra and it damages his eyes every time he uses it." Itachi looked to the gray haired jonin with curiosity as he thought, 'Kakashi do you?' His train of thought was interrupted when he heard his primary target borderline roar,

"This is the end for you Itachi, you won't get the chance to hurt Sasuke or anymore jinchuuriki. For all the evil shit you've ever done I'm going to slaughter you and every other member of that crappy club of yours!" The blonde was fired up and ready to go but his sensei held him back, "Calm down Naruto you're letting your emotions cloud your judgement. I'll head in first and you'll be my backup ok, if he gets a hold of you we lose, do you understand?" Naruto turned his head slightly to let his sensei know he understood but in the corner of his eyes he saw Itachi simply move his finger slightly.

Without much warning Kakashi charged Itachi full force, his sharingan flaring and his Lightning Blade at full power. He closed in and lunged but Itachi managed to move out of the way and sunk his kunai deep into his opponents chest. Kakashi fell to the ground in a thud and the shock sent the blonde into a frenzy. He created a mass of Shadow Clones and had them charge in while he started chucking kunai at Uchiha. Itachi took the clones down one by one but when he looked at the original he saw him smirking with a powerful Rasengan charged up and ready to go. The blonde suddenly vanished and it took the Uchiha off guard but then from behind him he heard,

"**Giant Rasengan!**" Naruto's attack hit it's mark but the rogue nin's body just molded into a flock of crows, "Naruto you've mastered quite a lot of the Fourth Hokage's jutsus," Itachi said as his body reformed. Naruto huffed but then took in his surroundings and realized that he was surrounded by Itachi's, "Damit, I fell for his genjutsu but I didn't even look him in the eye." The blonde shook his head to clear his thoughts and attempted his best to break the jutsu but no matter how hard he pushed it refused to break. The poor blonde experienced his worst fears and horrors for what felt like an eternity but just when he thought he was going to go mad he found himself sandwiched between the two girls he knew all too well.

"Naruto-kun, Itachi managed to get you, are you alright?" Sakura asked in concern from behind him while Hinata nodded her head in agreement wanting to know the same. The blonde looked back to the battlefield to see Kakashi and Itachi locked in combat and said, "I'm fine now Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, you can let me go now, I need to go help Kakashi. I'm going to try and end this with one attack." Naruto gathered his chakra and shouted,

"**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Roughly sixty clones appeared, they went off in groups of three and they put their hands together. Meanwhile the original Naruto threw a kunai while Itachi managed to dodge another of Kakashi attacks he saw it coming and redirected his own weapon to deflect the oncoming projectile. Naruto's kunai hit the ground and in a flash Naruto was in front of the nuke nin. Kaskashi and Naruto's taijutsu skills managed to back the Uchiha into a corner. Itachi tried to put at least one of them under his genjutsu again in order to improve his odds but it wasn't having any effect and that's when he realized that his opponents had switched themselves out with Shadow Clones. Itachi took the clones down without much effort but then he realized what was heading his way. Before he could do a thing he was hit by multiple Giant Rasengans with the blondes all shouting as loud as they could,

"Take this you ugly bastard, **Giant Rasengan Barrage!**" The force of the attacks struck up a vast amount of dust while leaving a small carter where Naruto's jutsus had made contact. Team Kakashi cautiously approached their opponent but when they did it was revealed that it wasn't Itachi they had defeated but a missing sand nin. "What the hell is this," Naruto said, his anger apparent. "I don't know Naruto but whatever they did to this man it had to have been a forbidden jutsu." Naruto slammed his fist to the ground in anger, "Damn cowards, sending their minions after me instead of facing me themselves." He looked to the man he had defeated and wondered if he was still alive when they had fought or if whatever jutsu the Akatsuki used on him had killed him.

It made the blonde even angrier knowing that this man, like him, was just another tool to Akatsuki and had been used as a sacrificial piece. Remembering what their mission was and that there were still two members of said group holding his friend captive he found his resolve and simply gritted his teeth, "Let's go, we don't have any time to waste." Kakashi agreed although he was worried about his old students mental state and what he was thinking. It wasn't long before their group resumed their mission, jumping through trees at remarkable pace, making their last push to the Akatsuki's hidden base.

* * *

**AN: First things first sorry about the delay had a few technical issues as well as some outside forces preventing me from writing, don't worry everything is fine.**

**Like I said up top will be putting disclaimer on top of every new chapter and story I write because it's something I should of really been doing all along**

**This chapter is very close to canon, like the Zabuza arc in the beginning of the original Naruto, there isn't much I could really change here for plot reasons but at least I brought along Hinata lol**

**Iruka and Ayame because why not I figured**

**Yeah Naruto is still an emotional character and still a bit of baka honestly because if he was super smart he would just win and that's no fun lol and he provides a good chunk of the humor**

**Like I said earlier since this arc is so close to canon all I can do for now is give us as many cute moments as possible which why I had Naruto and Sakura's moment as well as the Naruhina moment**

**Yeah Sakura has a pretty kind heart and honestly her beliefs come from the terrible childhoods Naruto and Sasuke went through, she doesn't want that to happen to anyone ever again, honestly she would make a good Hokage herself lol**

**I tortured Kakashi quite a bit this chapter sorry Kaka-sensei lol, and poor Naruto girls are scary**

**I honestly could have omitted the whole Team Gai fight but I may have plans for Gai and since we skipped their first encounter why not at least cover the second even if it was exactly the same**

**I still see Naruto falling for the genjutsu, Itachi is super op lol but he had least tried breaking a bit sooner but again Itachi is op I don't see him breaking it himself **

**Next chapter we will be finishing up this saga and tenichi bridge will be very different I promise that and Kami I never thought I say it but man even I miss the teme but still I think he's at least one chapter away**

**Response to reviews: Gunner as always thank you**

**Born to Be God like I know I get it but I like cannon Naruto at least a little and again if I make him to smart or too serious, I end up losing his humor as well as making him overpowered **

**As always I hope everyone is doing ok, I thank you all for reading and until next time, I will try to get chapters out as soon possible but until then see you and goodbye **


	21. The Sand and the Leaf

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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**Chapter 21 - The Sand and the Leaf**

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March 6th, 67 AFL

In the distance, far from the location of Team Kakash; Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki awoke from their state of mediation, "Hmm, not bad. They were able to defeat the sacrifices; impressive even if they did only contain about thirty percent of our chakra." Kisame said with a malicious grin.

"It was more than enough time, now come on Kisame we have to help the others finish the sealing and then I have somewhere I need to be," Itachi replied with the same stoic expression he always wore. Without another word the two Akatsuki members resumed their previous state, making contact with their accomplices and reporting how the Leaf ninja had fared. With that done the extraction of Shukaku neared its final stage.

Meanwhile Team Kakashi was making their approach now undeterred by their enemies and noticing an obvious lack of traps. To be expected the blonde of their group started going faster and faster but this time when someone went to tell him to slow down he argued back, "We can't waste anymore time, don't any of you understand? The extraction of Gaara's tailed beast has probably already started. We can't afford to waste another second." Naruto said with red in his eyes as he continued his frantic pace. Sakura shook her head and with a sad look she said,

"This whole thing is sick. Forcing children who are barely a few days old to become vessels for creatures that most people despise guaranteeing them a life of isolation and loneliness. How the hell could people do such a thing and how is it even possible." It was Lady Chiyo who responded to the cherry blossom first,

"Like I said earlier, it was Hashirama Senju who spread seven out of the Nine-Tailed Beast to different villages in order to maintain some level of peace and trust between them but this only lead to the Bijuu being used as weapons in the Great Ninja Wars. As for how to extract a Tailed Beast, it requires a powerful sealing jutsu as well as an enormous supply of chakra. However when a Tailed Beast is extracted from its host the jinchuuriki… dies." Chiyo as well as the group of shinobi looked at the blonde ahead of them who only responded with,

"I know... that's exactly what happened to my mother." Sakura looked to the ground and shed a tear. The pinkette remembered the day all too well that they had learned of Naruto's parentage and how they had sacrificed themselves for the safety of the village. She was also concerned about her baka and was deathly afraid that the same fate would befall him. Sakura's tears started to fall one after the other, unable to imagine a life without the blonde knucklehead she cared so much for by her side but before she could fall into anymore despair she felt a hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked over and saw Hinata with a comforting look and then back to Naruto who was more than likely forcing his usual grin but wearing it he was,

"Don't worry Sakura-chan remember I never go back on my word. I will save Gaara and I won't die until I become Hokage, believe it!" Naruto smiled at her one last time trying to convey that everything was going to be fine and without another word he faced forward in order to resume his pursuit of the Sand's missing Kazekage. Sakura felt a bit better knowing she had Hinata to help watch her baka's back as well as the fact that he seemed to be unafraid of their enemies but couldn't completely shake the worry from her mind.

At the exact same time the council of Suna was having an all too important meeting regarding the safety of the village. This went on for quite some time until a council member said, "With Lord Gaara missing we must start thinking about the next Kazekage." Kin and Kankuro went in to protest but were surprised when they were held back by stone faced Matsuri who simply shook her head. She then announced her presence to the council and took a seat before simply stating,

"Look I know how bad this is. I know how bad the Sand suffered during our search for the Third Kazekage and trying to locate Lord Gaara could put the entire village in danger." Matsuri took a deep breath before starting again, "However, Lord Gaara is one of the most important people in my life and I'm not the only one that feels that way. He is loved by many of the younger members of the village as well as his family and friends. The Leaf Village was even considerate enough to send some of the best shinobi they have just to help us get him back." Matsuri rose to her feet but addressed the council one last time with fire in her eyes,

"I really could give a damn what you old bastards want to do but as for me, Kankuro, and Kin we intend to take a team after Gaara and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop us." With that the soulmate of the Sand's Kazekage left the council members stunned and even some others slightly angry.

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A few hours later Team Gai as well as Team Kakashi had determined that their members needed to rest. It was nearing the end of Sakura's turn to stand watch so she descended the trees and ended up landing right next to Naruto and Hinata. She took a few moments to listen to what they were saying and realized that the Hyuga princess was reading to their baka again. She walked over slowly and then her eyes lit up when she heard the main character's name,

"Hinata did you just say what I think you said?" Sakura asked as she leaned over her shoulder and tried to read a few passages herself. Hinata chuckled, "Yeah I know it's a weird coincidence right." Sakura shook her head, "That's no coincidence, Master Jiraiya was Minato Namikaze's sensei but I think that they were much closer than that old bastard originally told us. I mean look at the publication date, this had to have been one of his first novels; it wouldn't surprise me if Minato-sama had read this himself." Hinata looked at the book in confusion at first but it quickly shifted to elation,

"Naruto-kun Sakura's right, your parents might have even named you after this character; especially considering what a brave and powerful shinobi he is." "That would make more sense than naming him after fishcakes," Sakura added and couldn't help but giggle a little. The blonde smiled and then took the novel right out of Hinata's hands, holding it to his chest he proclaimed proudly, "Alright then, I'll be just like the Naruto in this book and make sure we can live in a world without hatred or pain." Naruto's face shifted into a light mischievous grin,

"But if I fail I know Shinachiku will finish my work." he finished and suddenly pulled out a pen and paper, taking notes and writing down ideas at an erratic rate. Sakura and Hinata looked at the blonde, a bit dumbfounded by his actions but after a few moments they realized he was writing a quick outline for his own story. The girls looked at each other and Sakura could tell Hinata was looking at her with the same expression that Ino had always stared her down with. Funny enough Sakura couldn't help but stare right back with a smile and she simply whispered, "First one to have a boy wins." Hinata's smile only grew larger as she replied, "Agreed." With that Hinata went out for her turn on watch duty leaving Sakura to simply watch Naruto compose page after page until she finally fell asleep.

As the cherry blossom of Team Kakashi drifted off into dreamland the bushy browed genin of Team Gai was busy doing pull ups on the branch he was supposed to be standing on in order to spot any potential enemies. Eventually Lee's cries of youth and declarations of determination were heard by the only female member of his team, "Lee what the hell are you doing, you're supposed to be watching out for enemies?" Tenten asked, causing Lee to descend from his tree and form his classic nice guy poise,

"Tenten-chan I'm getting in some extra training, you know how much I can't stand just sitting around doing nothing." He replied with a grin. Tenten sighed but only said, "Well go get some rest, it's my turn to stand guard anyway." "Right Tenten-chan," Lee exclaimed, actually saluting his teammate and following her order without question. Tenten sighed again but when Lee disappeared from view she couldn't help but smile, 'That idiot will never change.' She thought to herself fondly while pulling out some of her favorite weapons, making sure they were ready for any enemy they might encounter.

At the exact same time, back in Sunagakure, Kankuro and Kin were making their last few preparations before they headed out with Matsuri and the other Sand nin that had volunteered to go after the Kazekage. Kin was wondering what the hell to say to the puppet master she had spent over two years with and even if she didn't know what was going through his head she did know what it was like to lose someone. Luckily for her it was Kankuro who broke the awkward silence with a slight chuckle,

"What's so funny Kankuro?" Kin asked, completely bewildered by the outburst, "It's just you've always acted so cold and heartless but ever since my little brother was kidnapped and I was poisoned, you've been down right sympathetic. I just find it funny that it took this much time to finally get you to show your true feelings." Kankuro said and then turned to face the dark haired kunoichi who immediately turned away with a scowl, "Yeah well don't get used to it. I'm not like that loud annoying medic from the Leaf, I'm a true kunoichi and I'll kill anyone I have to in order to accomplish my mission." She replied harshly but the puppet master could see the faintest tint of red on her cheeks. Kankuro just sighed but then surprised the girl by using his chakra strings, wrapping her a close to him as he possibly could,

"Hey what the hell Kankuro-kun," Kin almost shouted but her blush deepened and she suddenly found the urge to drive a kunai through her heart, damn she hated this lovey dovey crap and it was a million times worse when it actually felt right. Before she could commit to the action her heart almost fell out of her chest when Kin heard Kankuro say, "Thank you for caring about me, my little brother, and my village. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. I really do love you Kin, you know that right." With that the puppet master released his soulmate, grabbed his last piece of gear and left their room through the door leaving the ex sound nin flustered, confused, and even a bit annoyed. Eventually she regained her sense of awareness and huffed,

"Asshole and you know I love you too." Were Kin's last words before she gathered her own belongings and quickly darted out of the room to catch up to Kankuro. Unbeknownst to any ninja in the Five Great Nations, the true mastermind of the Akatsuki was busy looking over the bodies that Team Kakashi and Team Gai had left behind. He laughed before leaning over and in the shadows of the moon he began to devour their remains.

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March 7th, 67 AFL

Early the next morning Team Kakashi as well as Team Gai resumed their pursuit of the Akatsuki, hoping they would reach the Kazekage in time. Meanwhile near the borders of the Sand, Temari was in state worry and distress wondering what the hell had become of her youngest brother. She was busy giving orders to the less experienced shinobi when she suddenly received word that a message had arrived for her. She immediately wanted to hear the message, hopeful it was news related to Gaara but instead she was surprised when she realized it was a letter from that troublesome Nara.

Slightly agitated, she opened the message and was surprised by Shikamaru's words of comfort. It was so unlike the lazy bastard to actually send her a message, let alone one that was so sympathetic and understanding. By the time she had finished reading, she actually managed to smile a little and wrote down her own message of appreciation.

Meanwhile Team Kakashi was now making incredible time, most noticeably because there was a severe lack of traps and obstacles in their way. The shinobi all noticed this but it was Lady Chiyo who voiced their concerns, "They believe they stalled for long enough which means the extraction is almost complete." Suddenly all the members of their group felt a chill go down their spines. They looked on ahead and saw Naruto enveloped in a one-tailed cloak of demon chakra, his speed increasing by the second,

"Naruto calm down, we don't know anything for sure yet, remember!" Kakashi shouted and just as ordered the blonde focused his mind and his cloak rescinded but slight spots of red and orange chakra were still swirling around his body. "Is that boy what I think he is?" Chiyo asked. Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes, Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox spirit and just like Gaara grew up with barely any friends. He was feared by the majority of the village so Naruto knows what Gaara's been through better than anyone." Kakashi turned his face so that he was looking directly at the elderly woman, "Naruto's dream is to become Hokage so when Gaara was named Kazekage he was truly happy for his friend but now that this has happened I can only imagine how angry he is."

"I see," Chiyo replied, "I was one who sealed Shukaku in young Gaara and doomed him to that existence. At the time I truly believed I was helping my village but now…" Chiyo looked at the two girls behind them and then to the blonde in front still leaking the slightest bits of tailed beast chakra, "Now I'm wondering if everything I've ever done has been right or wrong," she let out a sigh before finishing, "Maybe it's time to entrust the future to them."

Just as the experienced Sand kunoichi finished this statement, just a few miles away, the leader of Sunagakure saw his life flash before his eyes before they finally shut as the last bits of Shukaku's chakra left his body. As soon as the deceased Kazekage's body hit the floor, several miles away the person who loved Lord Kazekage the most let out a deafening scream and felt like her very soul had been ripped in two. She fell to her knees, grasped her heart and while hyperventilating, she repeated, "No, No, Kami NO!" Marsuri knew before anyone else that they had failed and Lord Gaara was dead.

Not an hour later Team Gai and Team Kakashi found themselves standing just outside of the Akatsuki hideout. They had Neji and Hinata use their Byakugan to try and see inside but they were unable to collect any useful intel. They did however notice something in the cave that nearly frightened them both to death. The group quickly realized that the door was sealed tight and that it would require the removal of five different tags, scattered in various locations around them. Team Gai volunteered to remove the four tags scattered around the area while Team Kakashi removed the one at the hideout's entrance.

After a quick group cheer, that Naruto wanted his team to do as well but was effectively shut down by everyone in the group, Team Gai raced to their positions. At the same time within the cave Deidara and Sasori realized they had some new friends just outside. Realizing that one of them was a jinchuuriki they asked Itachi what he knew about him. In classic Uchiha fashion, Itachi said nothing at first but was finally ordered by Pain to divulge his intel which unfortunately for Deidara and Sasori wasn't very much. Just as the Akatsuki meeting was adjourned they both heard a loud bang behind them. They turned around quickly and Deidara took a seat on top of the deceased Kazekage, his disrespect and lack of remorse ever apparent. There standing in the doorway was Team Kakashi and Lady Chiyo ready for battle.

"What the hell are you doing, get the hell off of him you bastard!" Naruto screeched in anger while his nine-tails chakra started leaking out faster and faster. "**Byakugan!**" Hinata said and quickly scanned Gaara's body but as she did she quickly realized that they had failed. "Naruto-kun, we're… we're too late… Gaara he's… he's dead."

"You… You… killed my friend. I'll… I'll… annihilate you for what you've done you scumbags!" Naruto roared while his hatred and malice only increased more and more. "Well Itachi wasn't kidding, he does bark quite loud don't you think Sasori my man," Deidara said with a grin. "I think I'll take this one too if you don't mind." "Don't push your luck Deidara, you've already lost an arm you fool," Sasori replied with annoyance. Deidara got to his feet, scoffed, and then put one foot on top of the Kazekage's corpse,

"Sasori my man, trust me this one will be far easier to kill than this pathetic thing." Diedara said while referring to Gaara, "I wonder if he'll scream like a bitch just like this one did when we extract his Bijuu." Naruto was right on the edge of losing control but he was successful at holding back for the moment at least,

"What the hell do you people want to accomplish by taking so many innocent lives? Can't you see the devastation and pain that you're causing the shinobi world?!" Deidara only chuckled cruelly, "Do you think we care, I mean seriously we've already killed two jinchuuriki and no one gave a damn about them."

Back with Team Gai, after removing the tags an unknown jutsu activated and produced a perfect clone of each member of their team. Team Gai began their difficult battle against their doppelgangers hoping they would be in time to help their comrades. Meanwhile back at the hideout, Deidara had had enough arguing with his partner and after forming a huge bird made entirely of clay he had it swallow the Kazekage's body whole. He got on the odd creature himself and took to the sky,

"Come on Nine-Tails lets see if you're strong enough to take your demon brother away from me." The Akatsuki member flew out of the hideout without another word and Naruto started chasing after him but was held back, "Naruto-kun please, I'm sorry but Gaara is already dead. He's just using his body as bait to get to you," Hinata tried to explain but uncharacteristically the blonde ignored her words and even glared at her,

"I don't care, I'm getting him back even if I have to do it alone." Naruto said and then chased after the rogue nin, "Damit, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Lady Chiyo, I'll go with Naruto for now, can you three please hurry and defeat the puppet freak. We may need your help if things go badly." Hinata semi ordered which was ironic considering she was the only genin in the group but Kakashi nodded nonetheless knowing if anyone could get Naruto to calm down it was Hinata or Sakura. As the Hyuga princess vanished from view, he uncovered his Sharingan and got ready to help Chiyo and Sakura battle the deadly puppet master thinking the three of them would take him down quickly and be able to regroup with the others.

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"I can't wait to see your face again Sasori," Chiyo said with a frown. Sasori just glared and suddenly Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, "Don't worry Sakura, remember you have us right here next to you and I'll be damned if I lose another one of my students." Kakashi said trying to ease the pinkette's anxiety. "That's right dear, just stand back," Chiyo added and without another word she brought out several kunai connected by her chakra strings,

"**Assault Blade!**" Chiyo's kunai all flew toward Sasori at an incredible speed but the Akatsuki member was able to counter using his tail deflecting the blades. He snickered believing he had countered her attack with ease but just as he managed to repel his grandmother's attack, Kakashi appeared just behind him, "**Lightning Blade!**" "Is that the best you can do," Sasori shifted his body so that he was standing on all fours and before the jonin's attack made contact the puppeteers tail whirled around and sliced him in the chest. Luckily for Kakashi all Sasori had managed to do was dispel his Shadow Clone leaving the original jonin completely unharmed,

"Damn, he's good but we have to hurry, I'm worried about Hinata and Naruto," Kakashi stated, "I was saving this as a last resort but it looks like I have no choice." Kakashi turned to his teammates and asked, "Can you two hold him off while I build up my chakra." "Oh Kakashi leaving an old lady and little girl to confront an Akatsuki member alone, your jutsu better be worth it," Chiyo replied. Kakashi chuckled at the elderly woman's sarcasm, "Yeah it should do the job but we're going to have to get to his real body first, my sharingan senses his chakra coming somewhere inside that puppet he's using for a body." "Oh so you see Sasori's secret then," Chiyo said. "What secret?" Sakura asked, causing the elderly woman to frown,

"That thing Sasori's been using as a body is what is known as a living puppet. A puppet made from the body of real people." Sasori began to chuckle menacingly, "That's right granny and once I get you three you'll bring my collection to a total count of three hundred and one." Chiyo explained the origin of Sasori's Hirako puppet and how he was once a shinobi from their village until he was turned into a living puppet by Sasori. "Unfortunately it would appear that he's upgraded it since I last saw it," the sand kunoichi explained. She turned, looking directly at Sakura, "You possess Tsunade's monstrous strength, only you can destroy that puppet Sakura but remember." Sakura gulped and nodded, "Right, if I get hit at all his poison will finish me."

"Exactly so listen well child…" Chiyo whispered her plan to Sakura but Sasori wasn't going to let them conspire all day and attacked ruthlessly and without mercy. Unfortunately for him Sakura and Lady Chiyo managed to avoid every single one of his attacks, 'Damn them, find I'll go for the jonin instead,' Sasori thought but once he struck his target it vanished in a puff of smoke, "Another Shadow Clone!" "Hey you're fighting us remember!" Sakura yelled, 'Shit, I let down my guard, there's no time to dodge.' Were the Akatsuki member's thought's before he heard,

"Now take this my new **Super Cherry Blossom Crush!**" A shockwave shook the whole hideout as soon as Sakura's fist connected and the Hirako puppet was shattered into nothing more than kindling. Sakura backed away next to Lady Chiyo, "I've waited over twenty years, now I finally get to see my grandson's face, what!" Sasori began chuckling again and Sakura looked to Chiyo, "What's wrong that's him isn't it?" Sakura asked while Chiyo looked on in disbelief for a moment before saying,

"Oh I see Sasori that's why you haven't aged." Sasori's chuckle evolved into a dark laugh as he replied, "You really are smart grandmother, that's right but before I sully my hands myself let's see how you handle this!" Sasori quickly pulled out a scroll and summoned the puppet contained inside, "No… How could you Sasori, you're the one who killed the Third Kazekage and now the Fifth can you possibly sink any lower!" "Wait the Third Kazekage?" Sakura asked and Chiyo was forced to quickly what happened to the most powerful Kage Suna had ever seen. "Not to mention the fact that he's also responsible for the death of Gaara's father."

"Have you gone senile you old bat, it was Orochimaru who did that and he wasn't even part of the Akatsuki at that point," Sasori replied in annoyance. "Wait you know that snake freak?!" Sakura barked, causing the rogue nin to turn to her, "Yes actually although weren't not friends, in fact I have a spy I need to meet a few days from now so I hope you don't mind…" Sasori reared his chakra stings and smiled sickly,

"If I kill you quickly!" The puppet of the Third Kazekage launched at Sakura attacking full force, unleashing deadly weapon after deadly weapon. The pinkette managed to dodge all of his attacks thanks to Chiyo subtly controlling her body with her own chakra strings but giving Sakura enough freedom to dodge herself should the need arise. The kunoichi thought they were slowly gaining ground until Sasori unleashed a devastating attack that forced Sakura to ground though she had managed to dodge every single one the puppets poisonous weapons. She thought she was in the clear but Sasori laughed cruelly,

"Try to escape this!" Suddenly the Kazekage puppet launched an enormous amount of deadly poison into the air but just before it hit Sakura she heard,

"Did you forget what I said, I refuse to lose another student, **Mangekyou Sharingan - Kamui!**" Without warning a rip in the literal fabric of reality appeared just in front of Sakura and all of the deadly poison was sucked inside, 'Dammit, I wanted to use that at the source of that puppets chakra, looks like I'll just have to try again,' the jonin thought before he rushed to Sakura's side and retreated back to Lady Chiyo's position.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei, that new jutsu is amazing," Sakura said in gratitude. "Don't worry Sakura that's what I'm here for but we have to hurry," Kakashi replied. "I know, Naruto-kun and Hinata probably need our help," Sakura reminded their group, "So we have no choice, we'll beat him right now!"

"You shouldn't tell lies girl, now all three of you die!" Sasori said and before they knew several of the puppet's weapons shot directly at the shinobi, 'Shit, my Kamui isn't ready,' Kakashi thought but luckily Chiyo had an answer. She quickly summoned two puppets based on Sasori's parents and used them to defend. Sasori and Chiyo began their puppet battle, Sasori using the living puppet of the Third Kazekage while she used the puppets she referred to as the Father and Mother puppets. Kakashi and Sakura watched on intently waiting for any chance they could to help but suddenly Sasori revealed the Third's hidden jutsu The Iron Sand.

The Iron Sand started devastating the wooden Father and Mother puppets and in an attempt to counter his jutsu Kakashi tried using his Lightning Style but Sasori anticipated this and managed to knock the jonin down, infecting him with his deadly poison but luckily he was still alive and only slightly injured. Seeing the devastation Chiyo ordered Sakura to run but the pinkette adamantly refused. This unfortunately gave the Akatsuki member the time he needed for another devastating attack, sending everything his puppet had at the two kunoichi. Chiyo was barely able to put up a defense in time but she somehow did; saving herself and Sakura although her puppets were now slightly damaged.

"Well grandmother it looks like this is the end, two puppets and three people. Now who will die!" Sasori used his puppet to form three Iron Shards and launched them directly at his targets but luckily Chiyo had a solution. She quickly sent the Father puppet to shield Kakashi while the Mother went to shield Sakura,

"Lady Chiyo No!" Sakura yelled but when the smoke cleared Chiyo was giving her usual chuckle having saved herself with her arm that had been replaced with that of a puppet. Unfortunately the Father and Mother puppets took the full force of Sasori's attack and were rendered useless. The elderly sand kunoichi was now breathing heavily; almost at her limit and as she looked directly at the monster her grandson had become she reflected on her past, wondering what she could possibly do now to rectify all of her mistakes. Her gaze slowly drifted to the young medic she had met only a few days before. She saw the cherry blossom had subtly made a Shadow Clone and sent it over to discreetly give the antidote she had created to Kakashi. Chiyo chuckled a little before acknowledging the real Sakura,

"Sakura dear." "Yes Lady Chiyo," the pinkette replied. Chiyo gave the younger kunoichi a small smile before saying, "You were serious when you wanted to create a world where no one has to die an unnecessary death, weren't you?" "Of course," the pinkette replied, slightly confused by the old woman's question. Her smile grew a bit bigger as she said, "Then I'll entrust everything to you," she turned back to her grandson who was smirking at the state of his opponents. "When my time comes, whether it's today or ten years from now I want you to have everything I possess, including my journals regarding deadly poisons and my diaries."

"Lady Chiyo I couldn't, I mean…" Sakura said unable to comprehend what the old woman was saying, "But those belong to the Sand Village, the council will never let me just have those, even if it is what you want Lady Chiyo." The elderly kunoichi only chuckled, "True they'll keep my best works from you but they have no right to dishonor my final wish." Sakura really didn't know how to respond so all she could say was,

"Thank you Lady Chiyo, I am forever in your debt." Chiyo shook her head and turned back to their opponent, 'No child, it is I who is forever in yours,' she thought. "Now Sakura take your Sensei and leave this to me, I'll finish this battle myself." In response Sakura simply stood right next to the Sand kunoichi,

"Sorry Lady Chiyo but I protect my comrades until the very end; no matter what you say or how bad the odds are I promise, I will never abandon you!" Chiyo could only chuckle again, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, fine then Sakura do you have a plan?" "I do," the pinkette replied with a foxy grin. Chiyo simply nodded in agreement and at this point Sasori had had enough of this sentimental garbage. He sent in the puppet of the Third Kazekage once again; hopeful he would finish these two easily but to his surprise Sakura had allowed herself to be Chiyo's puppet once again. Sakura and the puppet of the Third threw one devastating blow after another, their battle becoming so violent that the very roof of the base they were fighting in caved in. Sakura was losing ground as well as chakra and slowly she started remembering her training with Lady Tsunade. She began to analyze the movements of Sasori's hands and it wasn't long before she was able to memorize his patterns however Sasori was determined to end this now.

"You annoying little bitch, try and dodge this, **Iron Sand - Needle Sphere!**" Suddenly spikes made of the iron itself rained down over the entire battlefield and Sakura thought they were all about to die. That was until she saw her sensei had recovered and was standing right in front of her,

"Don't worry Sakura I'll handle this, "**Mangekyou Sharingan - Kamui!**" Kakashi's jutsu was enough to send the spikes that were coming toward the two Leaf ninja to another dimension sparing them from any injuries but unfortunately Lady Chiyo was outside of the safety zone. The Sand kunoichi was hit several times though she was still conscious and able to fight. Sasori smiled at the devastation before he realized that he had missed two of his targets and before he could react,

"**Rasengan!**" Sakura shouted; shoving an orb of blue chakra directly into the Third Kazekage puppet and causing it to shatter in the process. Sakura immediately retreated back to Lady Chiyo and administered her the final dose of antidote they had in their possession. Meanwhile Sasori was once again chuckling cruelly and then he said,

"It's been a long time since I've had to use myself." Sasori revealed himself to be a living puppet as well and started attacking the younger kunoichi without mercy. Just as Sasori was about to land a blow on Sakura Chiyo managed to pull her out of harm's way,

"Stand back Sakura this fight is beyond you now," Chiyo said and suddenly summoned her legendary multiple digits, ten of her finest and strongest puppets. Sasori was more than pleased, "Grandmother I've heard stories of those puppets, being able to destroy an entire village is impressive but…" Sasori pulled out his own scroll and shouted,

"But I used these to destroy an entire nation, **Secret Red Move - Performance of a Hundred Puppets!**" Sasori's army of a hundred puppets stood intimidatingly over the three shinobi and once again Chiyo told Kakaski and Sakura to leave but being the shinobi that they were; it was completely out of the question. The Leaf nin charged in while Chiyo used her puppets to defend them against Sasori's army.

Every puppet they would take down would give Sasori better control over the others but somehow they were able to avoid every one of Sasori's poisoned weapons. Eventually Kakashi and Sakura got close to the puppet master, "Sakura you see that weird symbol on Sasori's chest; that's where I'm sensing his chakra coming from." Sakura nodded and Kakashi continued, "I'll head in and try to destroy it but watch my back ok."

"Right sensei I got it, cha!" Kakashi pushed his sharingan to its absolute limit as he cleared a path to his target and when he was finally in range, **Lightning Blade!**" He shouted but just as his attack hit the puppets body he realized that somehow his target had escaped. He turned around quickly just in time to see Sasori coming up from behind him and going for the kill but just before the deadly blade met Kakashi's throat he heard,

"You will not kill my sensei, **Rasengan!**" Sakura screeched and landed her attack right into Sasori's weak spot, sending him back into the wall; his container so damaged by the attack that it refused to leave it's current body. He tried to use his chakra strings to connect to his remaining puppets but it was all in vain as he realized his chakra and very soul were slowly leaving it's container. Sasori couldn't believe it but in just a few moments he knew he would be leaving this world and there would be no coming back. Sasori started laughing; borderline in shock that he had lost,

"Hahaha, well done, I think you two actually deserve a reward." "What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked. "Hehe, ten days from now, at Tenchi Bridge; I'm supposed to meet the spy I mentioned before. You know the one watching Orochimaru for me but I guess I won't be…" Were Sasori's last words as the puppeteer's soul was finally put to rest. Kakashi sighed in relief before covering up his Sharingan,

"Sakura, heal Lady Chiyo and hurry." "Right sensei already on it and I know, I'm super worried about Naruto-kun and Hinata; we were fighting Sasori for far too long." True to her word Sakura was able to heal the puppet master albeit not fully due to the old woman's stubbornness and the trio finally made their way after their comrades. At the exact same time Team Gai was successful in defeating their doubles; proving that they had become even stronger than when they had first arrived and they too began their pursuit after Naruto, Hinata, and the Akatsuki member Deidara.

* * *

As the battle between Sakura, Kakashi, Lady Chiyo, and Sasori began; just outside of the hideout Naruto Uzumaki confronted the Akatsuki member who had taken Gaara's body, Hinata following closely behind. "Slow down you bastard!" Naruto barked and in an attempt to get close to the rogue nin, unsealed a scroll full of several kunai and launched them directly at Deidara. Unfortunately for Naruto his target managed to avoid the attack,

"Is that the best you can do Nine-Tails!" Deidara mocked but when he looked at his target he discovered the blonde was gone, "What the…" "Now take this **Rasengan!**" Naruto shouted having used his father's technique to teleport to one of the launched kunai as it was in mid air and then used his Shadow Clones to close the distance between him and his enemy even more.

"Don't think you've won your techniques are a joke compared to my art." Deidara said as he used his hands to prepare his explosive clay and just before Naruto reached his target he unleashed the devastating attack. The blonde took the full brunt of the explosion and was sent back to the ground hard but he somehow managed to recover. 'Damn him, he had to be a long distance fighter. What the hell are we supposed to do now,' the blonde thought in annoyance.

'Let me out Naruto, I'll destroy that pathetic fool for you and get your friend's corpse back.' A voice Naruto knew said in his head and for the first time Naruto actually wished it was that damn fox. He tried ignoring the voice by focusing on his target,

"Naruto-kun, calm down please; don't you see we're totally outclassed right now. The best thing to do is hang back and hope Kakashi-sensei and the others show up soon." Hinata tried to explain but that only resulted in a low growl from the blonde and laughter from their enemy.

"If you actually think your friends stand a chance against my man Sasori than your dumber than you look. I have to admit though I am quite surprised; including Gaara we've already captured two jinchuuriki but this is the first time I've heard of anyone actually caring for those disgusting creatures," the Akatsuki member replied with glee. Naruto looked to the ground in anger before his normally blue eyes shifted to red and two long tails shot out of his body,

"Finally the beast shows himself I've been waiting to see your true power monster," Deidara said completely unaffected by the Two-Tailed cloaked Naruto.

"A monster huh; fine I'll show you everything this monster can do, **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto roared and with it an army of clones poofed into existence and charged the enemy nin full force. Deidara only smirked before molding his clay into several small insects and sent them in to counter the clones. The rogue nin actually smiled at the several explosions that soon followed leaving not a single clone standing,

"I told you you're two weak, come on I know you can do better than this." Deidara continued to mock, 'Let me out Naruto,' the voice in the blonde's head repeated again and again. "Screw off both of you!" The blonde screeched before saying aloud, "Fine then let's see if you can handle Three-Tails!"

'Three-Tails,' Hinata thought, 'That's Naruto's absolute limit, if he pushes it any farther the Nine-Tails's chakra will become too much for him to control and he'll risk releasing it.' Naruto tried to attack again but just as before Deidara would either use his great mobility or explosives to avoid every blow,

'Damn, he's just getting faster and faster, I can't keep this up forever so…' Deidara got a sick looking grin and decided to taunt the blonde jinchuuriki just a little more. He turned around and flew even higher into the sky, "Alright monster come and get your brother!" "I'll kill you!" Naruto screeched as he threw his kunai straight toward the creature made of clay,

'That's it' "Now die!" Naruto braced himself for the attack but it never came and then his heart stopped as he heard one violent explosion after another. He turned around in midair just in time to see Hinata swallowed by the wave of explosions and finally he heard her deafening scream and then, nothing. He immediately retreated to the impact zone and looked around frantically for the Hyuga heiress but she was nowhere in sight.

"No, Kami no…" the blonde said completely in shock at this point. Then he heard the voice again, 'See what happens when you ignore my wishes, my current vessel. Now the girl who has loved you since before you even knew what love was is dead and it's all your fault. All because you had to save the body of a friend who's already long gone; if you had just let me out this would have never happened. Such a pity but it's still not too late Naruto, at least for revenge!'

Naruto found himself in that disgusting sewer again; standing in front of the Nine-Tails cage. Opposite him was his first incarnation offering his hand a malevolent smile plastered on his face, "Naruto don't listen to him, he's become just like that bastard Orochimaru. He only wants your body and if you give him control for too long Asura will take over permanently." Kurama said, causing Asura's grin to shift to him,

"Surprising Kurama, that you would care so much for this boy but have you forgotten. I'm not the one who murdered his parents, why should he believe anything you have to say?" Asura replied and the Nine-Tails let out a roar, "I may hate the kit but you're a hundred times worse and I refuse to be controlled by anyone; especially someone as crazy as you've become. If you're gone then Naruto and I can have fun killing each other over this body but until then I'd rather work on getting rid of you." Asura laughed and then faced Naruto whose eyes were completely glazed over as if the boy's spirit had completely shattered,

"So what will it be Naruto; trust in your parents killer or let me take control of all of our power and guarantee that pathetic weakling's death. In the end it's your decision." Naruto's lifeless eyes regained the smallest bit of awareness and he looked up to meet Asura's gaze. Slowly his head turned to Kurama and then back again to Asura,

"You will not take control forever and if you even think about hurting anyone I consider precious, I promise you won't have to worry about being reborn again but for now… Grant me the power to put down this evil prick!" Naruto said before shaking Asura's hand and suddenly a surge of chakra erupted from the blonde's body.

"What the hell," Deidara said now observing the Leaf jinchuuriki with curiosity at his sudden change of demonar. 'Has he tapped into even more of the fox's chakra, his presence feels completely different from before.' The Akatsuki member thought and then his eyes finally met the blonde's which were filled with a sick sense of calm and something he couldn't quite identify.

"What Naruto Uzumaki, you think that the demon inside of you giving you a little more chakra will make any difference," Deidara said. The blonde's expression slowly shifted into a menacing grin as he replied,

"Sorry, I'm not Naruto." Deidara blinked and his opponent was gone, "**Rasengan!**" Before he could do a thing the blonde had jumped into the sky and shoved his signature jutsu right into his creature made of clay. The hideous creation was blown to bits and now the two fighters as well as the deceased Kazekage were free falling through the sky.

Deidara was taken aback but quickly recovered and started to form hand signs with his only remaining limb but just before he could complete his jutsu his eyes met dark red, "Hard to do jutsus with just one hand isn't it? Oh I know why don't we see how you manage with none." Asura focused all of the wind chakra he had into his right arm and with deadly precision he used it to slice Deidara's remaining arm right from his body.

The Akatsuki member let out a wail of pain before seeing his target look at him with satisfaction and noticing his five bright red tails rearing back, "Now, let's see you survive this." Without another word all five chakra tails slammed into Deidara hard, sending him flying far off into the distance and completely out of sight, "Hmph, I used too much power and now I don't know where he is." Asura growled in irritation,

"And I doubt he'll be very easy to find now that I've taken his remaining arm away from him," the son of the Sage of Six Paths chuckled before adding, "If he even survived that attack, now I wonder where I can find those Uchiha bastards." Asura landed on the ground and that's when he sensed a presence he knew had been watching this whole time,

"Ah Hinata of the Hyuga clan, it's nice to meet you." He said while turning around to face the Hyuga heiress who had managed to catch and save Gaara during Asura and Deidara's battle. "Naruto-kun that's enough, you don't have to fight anymore. I have Gaara right here in my hands so let's head back now ok." Hinata said, completely ignoring Asura's words and attempting to reach the boy inside that she loved so much. Asura said nothing but his smile grew more cynical as he walked closer to her,

"Do you really think anything you say will make a difference. Face it, Naruto is gone and I'm the one in the driver seat now, as a matter of fact it's been a long time since I've had any fun. What do you say, Hinata-chan?" Asura walked in and attempted to kiss her but Hinata just backed away and slapped him as hard as she could,

"Naruto-kun I know you're in there, you have to fight it. Did you forget your ninja way? Remember Naruto Uzumaki never gives and he never surrenders to anyone, now fight!" Hinata screeched in his face. Asura rubbed the cheek Hinata had slapped before grabbing her wrist,

"You bitch I'll kill yo… AHHHH!" Asura grabbed his head and closed his eyes while screaming in pain. In the background he could hear the Hyuga bitch cheering for the return of her Naruto-kun but that eventually faded into absolute silence.

* * *

As Asura overpowered Deidara on the outside, the inner world of Naruto Uzumaki was slowly disintegrating into nothing. The pipes scattered around the dark sewer started bursting at the seams and Kurama could see Naruto's memories flying along the walls at an erratic rate. Suddenly the walls themselves cracked and started spewing water as well. With a shake of his head the Nine-Tails was finally able to spot what he was looking for.

Laying facedown, his face and body already submerged; the demon fox could see the boy's mind slowly fading. His arms and legs had already started deconstructing and it looked like the sewer itself was about to consume him whole. Kurama scoffed at the state of his jinchuuriki before letting out his loudest roar and in an attempt to rouse the blonde shouted,

"How pathetic, I thought you were stronger than this Naruto but I guess you are just a loser, a weakling!" Kurama snorted trying to bring the boy back. The water just continued to pour and the boy remained there lifeless for a moment before Kurama saw the slightest twitch. Kurama smirked knowing he was getting through to the boy and shouted again,

"That bastard is a liar, do you really think the Hyuga vixen is so weak that she would get caught up in a pathetic attack like that. No chance in hell, she's out there right now begging for you to come to your senses but just look at you." Kurama saw the blonde attempt to raise his arms and noticed that those pesky seals were beginning to glow and saw that the boy's body had finally stopped breaking down, 'Just one more push.' Kurama thought,

"Do you really think you can just give up on everything you've fought for? I guess I was wrong about you, you're just another brainless idiot, you want to be Hokage, what a joke. Not to mention those two vixens that love you more than the world itself but fine if your too stupid to remember who you are on your own I'll have to remind you, now come back Naruto!" Kurama roared again and used what little chakra he could force through his prison directly at the blonde.

As soon as the chakra found his target the entire sewer along with the water transformed into nothing but a white void. Naruto slowly managed to get to his feet before regaining his senses and looking around. Suddenly the scene came into view and what he saw made him burst into tears.

Surrounding him was the Leaf Village, filled with nothing but destruction and debris. Then he heard a roar that sent a shiver down his spine but he turned around just in time to see his mother and father impaled on one of the Nine-Tails sharp deadly claws.

Naruto tried to move and when that failed he screamed but no sound escaped his mouth. He tried to make out the words that his parents were saying to the child beneath them but he was unable to hear at the distance he was in. The next thing he saw was the fox being sealed into a much younger version of himself before the scenes started shifting faster and faster.

He saw his youth where he was neglected and sometimes even abused by some of the villagers. Then he saw his first meetings with Hinata and Sakura as well as Sasuke. Eventually he saw his first memories with all of the rookie nine and then the day of their team placements. All of the events he had gone through up to this point flashed before his eyes and when it was finally done the void reformed into a sewer once again but there were some notable differences.

The normally dimly lit place was engulfed in light so much so it was almost blinding. The rusty pipes had been replaced with pipes that were odd in color, one red, another, purple, and even some pinks and orange pipes were mixed in. The blonde smirked before facing his bijuu,

"I still don't trust you at all Kurama how can I after what you did but…" Naruto swallowed hard before saying, "Thank you." Kurama only snorted before crawling into a ball and lying on the floor.

"Just go kit, I hate you remember, I just happen to hate Asura more. Especially since that bastard thinks he can just use me as his weapon whenever he damn well pleases." Naruto didn't say another word but simply nodded, quickly forming a hand sign he closed his eyes and the next time he opened them he was back in the material world.

As the blonde regained his senses he realized he was sitting Hinata holding him up right, "Sorry Hinata-chan, I… I"m just happy you're ok." Naruto said with regret that he had allowed himself to be controlled. She simply held him close and rubbed his cheeks affectionately as she said,

"It's ok Naru-kun it wasn't all for nothing, we did manage to succeed and recover Gaara's bod…" Hinata's smile faded as she saw the blonde's own smile fade into pain and anguish. He got to his feet and walked over to his friend's corpse with tears in his eyes and without warning Lady Chiyo along with the remaining members of Team Kakashi finally arrived.

"Naruto-kun?" Sakura said in concern but before she could say anymore Team Gai arrived and surrounded someone just a few dozen feet away. Though he was injured and armless, Deidara had tried sneaking up on the Namikaze pair. Unfortunately for him reinforcements had arrived before he could execute his plan and surrounded him.

Smirking Deidara unleashed his ultimate art but Kakashi was able to neutralize the deadly shockwave using his Kamui and subsequently collapsed to the ground, a result from all of the high level jutsus he had used that day.

'That's oddly familiar,' Sakura thought before remembering what was going on before and redirecting her attention back to Naruto. She rushed to his side and Naruto begged, "Sakura-chan please tell me there's something you can do?" He said in a voice Sakura thought sounded broken.

She knew it was too late but to comfort her soulmate she proceeded to examine the Kazekage anyway. After about a minute of this Sakura had no choice but to simply shake her head with tears in her eyes. Naruto turned his attention to the ground realizing what Sakura was trying to say before finally breaking down.

"Damn it, I was too weak again!" He shouted and finally started to tear up as well, "It always ends like this, I couldn't save Haku, then Sasuke and now… now I've even failed Gaara." He turned his head back to look at his friend's face before continuing,

"He just became Kazekage, he just started letting people in, hell he even found someone that loves him and now… now it's all been taken away!" Naruto fell to his knees and that's when the elder kunoichi put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto turned to her with a glare but she ignored it and simply said,

"Don't worry child, I have a jutsu that can save him." All of the shinobi looked at Chiyo in shock but she ignored this too and simply placed both of her hands on the Kazekage's chest. "What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked but Hinata grabbed his hand and said,

"She's bringing him back." Neji and Hinata had used their family's bloodline limit to see exactly what was going on and they both realized this was a jutsu that traded life for life. Suddenly Lady Chiyo let out a cough,

"Damn it I don't have enough chakra." Lady Chiyo was determined to succeed though and repositioned her hands. Suddenly she felt a surge of chakra run through her body, turning her head she saw the entire Uzumaki-Namikaze trio standing behind her, each with a hand on her back.

"If you don't have enough then use our chakra," Naruto said while Hinata and Sakura only nodded their heads. Sakura realized like Hinata thanks to her training in the medical field what this unique jutsu probably was and together the trio did their best to honor the old woman's last wish. Chiyo let out one more cough and said,

"You are three very interesting young shinobi, I'm glad that I can entrust the future of the Sand and the Leaf to you." Were the Sand kunoichi's last words before she started to fall over but luckily Sakura was there to catch her before she hit the ground. Suddenly Gaara let out a gasp for air and slowly but surely he managed to gather his senses. At first he saw nothing but white, slowly his vision started to focus and into view came one of his oldest friends.

"Welcome back," Naruto said with a smile causing Gaara to blink making sure he wasn't seeing things before replying,

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Before the two could say anymore the Leaf shinobi were suddenly swarmed by reinforcements from the sand,

"Lord Gaara," a voice the Kazekage hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime, said. Gaara tried to get to his feet but was forced to have Naruto assist him and his eyes finally locked on Matsuri.

"Lady Kaze," was all he said before Matsuri was consumed with emotion and forced the Kage from Naruto's shoulder and into her arms, "Don't ever scare me like that again Gaara, never again." She said while sobbing into his chest. Gaara was able to show a small smile before the cheers of the Sand shinobi erupted, distracting him from his soulmate's embrace.

"How?" Gaara addressed the Leaf nin who had saved him and Naruto replied with a smile, "Old Lady Chiyo used some sort of jutsu to bring you back." The blonde turned to Sakura but quickly realized something was wrong,

"What is it Sakura-chan? What's wrong with granny?" He asked in concern but Sakura couldn't form words, tears flowing freely down her face, "Naruto-kun." Hinata said, shifting his attention to her,

"That jutsu… That jutsu was life for life Naruto-kun. She gave hers in order to save Gaara's, she died a death befitting a shinobi. That's why Sakura and I honored her last wish, I'm so sorry we didn't tell you." Hinata apologized while the blonde simply returned his gaze to the pinkette. "Why?"

"It was completely out of character but you seem to have forgotten something Naruto," Kankuro replied, having arrived shortly before. "You have the unique ability to change people remember," Temari said, "Just like how you saved and changed Gaara three years ago you changed Lady Chiyo to. That's why she entrusted the future to the three of you and why she decided to save Gaara." Gaara overheard his sibling's words and gathered the attention of all the shinobi present, "Everyone, a moment of silence for Lady Chiyo."

Later that day, far from the returning group of shinobi; Deidara of the Akatsuki had managed to successfully fake his death and was now making his way through the woods, revenge at the forefront of his mind. At the exact same time two other members of the rogue nin group were scavenging the puppet graveyard that was once Sasori's art. They managed to find his ring and left without another thought about their fallen comrade.

* * *

March 8th, 67 AFL

It was early the next morning when Team Kakashi as well as the Kazekage and his family were paying their last respects to the Sand kunochi who had sacrificed everything in the hope that they could build a better world. Eventually the Sand shinobi lifted their heads and along with Team Gai, Kakashi strapped securely to Gai's back; started to depart but they stopped when they noticed the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio still standing there.

Hinata bent down leaving a flower and Sakura did the same but unlike her counterpart she couldn't seem to get to her feet. Naruto put a hand on the pinkette's shoulder and she turned to him with sadness covering her beautiful face,

"Sakura-chan, it's time." Were the blonde's only words and begrudgingly Sakura got to her feet. When they finally turned around they noticed Chiyo's brother walking up to them, "I heard her last request courtesy of your sensei. Though I can't really give you much, I can at the very least give you her diaries." The elderly man said and without another word turned to leave. Before he got too far Sakura said,

"Thank you." He didn't turn around but he did reply, "Thank you, for being with her at the end." Were the man last words to the trio before he disappeared in the distance. The trio looked at eachother and Sakura stuffed the scrolls away before walking up to the Sand siblings. Naruto looked at his friend who was now a Kage with a nervous expression and for a reason he didn't know he was suddenly very anxious. He chuckled a little before finally saying,

"I guess this is where people are supposed to get all mushy and shake hands but I've never…" Naruto was immediately silenced by the feeling of sand flowing through his fingers and his hand was slowly brought from his side. He looked back to Gaara and noticed a rare smile and that he had his own hand extended. Naruto returned his friend's smile while the Kazekage and the future Hokage shook hands. Unknown to the two boys at the time this event would spark an alliance between their two villages that would last far after their own time on this earth was over.

* * *

**AN: Hey sorry about the wait but like I said last chapter it will be as they come at this point though when I do release a chapter it will usually be on a Sunday**

**I really don't have much to say about this chapter but regardless I really do hope you all enjoyed and until next time all I can say is goodbye. **


	22. The Meeting at Tenichi Bridge

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and that is probably a good thing lol

**Chapter 22 - The Meeting at Tenichi Bridge**

* * *

March 11th, 67 AFL

Just three short days after their adventure in the Sand Village the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio found themselves in the Konoha hospital, standing adjacent to Kakashi's bedside. Guy and his team had left the group just a few seconds before in order to report to the Hokage but surprisingly, just a few minutes after they left the woman they said they were going to see walked through the door of the hospital room.

She spotted Kakashi and the trio and asked for their report. They told of their battle with the Akatsuki as well as the information Sasori had left them but Hinata and Naruto still held back the truth of how his battle with Deidara ended up playing out. Tsunade frowned at the information before saying, "So you only have six days left and that's if the information you got was even accurate, for all you know it could be a trap and now on top of that Kakashi won't even be cleared for at least a week." Sakura and Kakashi shook their heads,

"It might be a trap Lady Tsunade but I seriously doubt it," the jonin replied. "They were his last words Tsunade-shisou and I'm inclined to believe him," Sakura added. Naruto decided to add his own two cents, "Regardless Ba-chan if this a chance to bring Sasuke and Ino home then we're going to take it, believe it and besides I want to meet my cousin," he said while grinning like the overconfident fool he was. The blonde then put his arms around Sakura and Hinata and pulled them close before continuing,

"And with the three of us working together I know we'll succeed." Tsunade looked at the trio before sighing, "Normally I'd completely agree with you but unfortunately a new problem has come up," the Hokage said causing all heads to turn to her in confusion. She looked at the trio directly before her gaze shifted to the Hyuga heiress, "While you three were gone the Hyuga decided to let every single member of the village's council know about Naruto's true status as the son of the Fourth Hokage." She finished while all of the teen's jaws nearly fell to the floor,

"But Tsunade-shisou wasn't that kept a secret in order to protect Naruto and stop the Rock Village from seeking revenge against Lord Fourth's family?" Tsunade sighed again before her gaze returned to Hinata, "That's exactly what it was for but the council doesn't care about that, what they care about is the next generation of shinobi which is why they're forcing me to remove Hinata from your team in order for her take this year's chunin exams and so the three of you can get legally married as quickly as possible. Just last year we changed the date of the exams from Summer to Spring and if someone could have kept their mouth shut for just a little longer we could've avoided this whole situation," Tsunade explained. Hinata looked to the ground disappointed that because of her actions Naruto could possibly now be in danger but was surprised when the blonde only tightened his grip on her shoulder,

"It's not Hinata-hime's fault, I was one that told her to do everything and anything within our power to keep her from getting that screwed up seal and it's not the end of the world. Truth be told the only thing that would keep us waiting anyway is the fact that Sasuke and Ino aren't here but in six days Sakura and I will bring them both home." The blonde then turned to the Hyuga heiress and kissed her cheek before finishing with, "Don't worry about a thing Hinata-chan, just make sure you're ready for this year's exam." Hinata smiled at the boy and Tsunade's annoyed glare shifted to another sigh,

"Well regardless what's done is done, now…" The blonde Hokage was cut off by the blonde chunin opening a window before leaping down to the ground below, "Now I gotta find us a new teammate!" He said before disappearing from view. Tsunade then turned to her apprentice,

"What I was going to say is that someone has already been assigned as a replacement for Hinata while I have someone who's perfect for taking Kakashi's place and in fact..." Tsunade chuckled a little before finishing with, "You've actually met them both Sakura now go and get your damn baka before he does anything stupid. I have a feeling that Naruto's identity will start spreading through the village and he doesn't need to look like the annoying little idiot he's always acted like." Sakura chuckled a little before exiting the window herself and disappearing from view. Tsunade's gaze then drifted to the last member of the trio and she managed a half smile,

"So Hinata, the old pervert told me that you're primary chakra nature is Lightning, is that correct?" "Hai Tsunade-sama," Hinata replied respectfully thinking she might still be on thin ice with the elderly woman. Tsunade formed an evil grin before turning to the incapicated jonin,

"Guess what you're doing until the start of the exams Kakashi, that or Shizune and I can watch as Obito, Anzu, and Mito play tug of war with that mask you're always wearing." Not needing any more convincing Kakashi unsealed several basic Lightning style jutsus as well as a scroll detailing exercises on lightning manipulation. Hinata gratefully accepted and said, "Thank you, I'll get to training right away," before disappearing in a flash leaving Kakashi and Tsunade alone. Kakashi turned his head to Tsunade and asked, "So who do you have in mind as my replacement?"

* * *

Meanwhile Sakura had managed to catch up to Naruto and after traveling a few blocks they ran into some of their old friends, "Kiba, Shino, Fu, hey what's up; long time no see," the blonde said with a grin. Sakura smiled at Naruto and Kiba's antics before Shino pulled Sakura off to the side surprising her but it was Fu who spoke first,

"How did your fight with the Akatsuki go?" Sakura looked on in confusion at first but then she finally remembered that Naruto wasn't the only jinchuuriki in Konoha, "We killed one but the other escaped, don't worry though; with Lady Tsunade around those bastards don't have the balls to attack the village itself," Sakura replied trying to reassure her friend of her safety. Fu nodded but with a worriedly look she asked,

"And Gaara, sorry I mean Lord Kazekage, is he ok?" Sakura nodded and explained the situation in its entirety. Fu and Shino were both shocked at the fact that Gaara's bijuu had indeed been stolen but thanks to Lady Chiyo's sacrifice had managed to live even without Shukaku. Eventually Sakura finished her tale and Fu and Shino gave her a look of understanding, "Alright if anything new happens be sure to let us know and we'll do the same for you," Fu said in an oddly serious tone that was rare coming from the usually happy and playful girl. Sakura agreed wholeheartedly and the Aburame made their departure while Fu pulled Kiba away from the blonde.

Sakura was forced to pull Naruto away in a similar fashion since the boys teasing each other had evolved into a small brawl. Eventually Sakura released the blonde, not really wanting to as she felt his muscles but did so nonetheless. Naruto mumbled something under his breath which sounded like,

"Stupid dog breath, thinks he's going to become Hokage before me; no chance in hell, believe it." Sakura giggled a little, thankful that even though her baka could become so serious in battle he was still able to have fun with his friends, even with the troubled and lonely past he had. It wasn't a few moments after that thought crossed her mind that they ran into another pair of old friends. "Choji, Shikamaru, man it's good to see you guys," the blonde said with a smile.

"Holy crap that really you Naruto," Choji said in surprise and immediately put an arm around the jinchuuriki's shoulder, "Come on Shikamaru, let's go get barbecue with Naruto and Sakura. It's been like forever and I'm starving." The Akimichi stated his stomach agreeing as it let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a roar. Shikamaru let out a near mute,

"Troublesome but I can spare a few minutes," and slowly started walking behind the two nearly bottomless pits in front of him. Before they could make it far though a kunai shot right by Naruto's face, actually scraping his cheek in the process,

"What the hell was that?" Naruto said in anger as he turned around to see who had the balls to attack him while his back was turned, "If that kunai was poisoned you'd be dead now Naruto Uzumaki." A person who barred an odd resemblance to his old teammate said.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, I'll kick your ass you bargain bin teme, **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Said person didn't respond, instead he whipped out a scroll and what appeared to be a paint brush. Finally he shouted,

"**Ninja Art - Super Beast Scroll!**" Several black and white creatures emerged from the boy's scroll and engaged Naruto's clones. They appeared to be evenly matched but unfortunately for the blonde his clones were eventually overwhelmed by the unknown nin's powerful drawings. The nin looked to his opponent who was smirking and when his drawing's finally reached their target it too vanished into nothing but smoke, 'Damn where did he go?'

"You shouldn't throw sharp objects at your fellow shinobi, prick!" Naruto shouted while throwing his own kunai directly at his enemies legs. The unknown nin easily avoided the seemingly poorly aimed weapon, it landing just a few feet behind him while his gaze drifted to his opponent. Then he saw the blonde grin and remembering his intell the nin could only think,

'Shit.' In a matter of seconds the blonde vanished in a flash of light, the nin turned around quickly and with only seconds to spare managed to parry Naruto's own kunai with his own. The nin actually showed the slightest bit of emotion as he smirked,

"You could have killed me if you wanted but instead you only blocked my counter attack. I guess the rumors are true, you really are a ball less pansy afraid to take life." "What the hell is your problem?" Naruto asked but the nin just smirked again before backing away from the blonde,

"Don't worry we'll see each other later but for now, farewell Naruto." Without another word the nin disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto snorted irritably before rejoining Choji, Shikamaru, and Sakura on the ground,

"Do you guys know who that was?" The blonde asked but his friends provided little help. It was Sakura who explained that she had seen him once with Danzo in Lady Tsunade's office along with the girl Naruto and Hinata met while on their training trip. Sakura finally explained what Tsunade had told her after the blonde had left the hospital and how that guy was more than likely their new teammate.

Naruto grumbled a little at that fact and said his goodbyes to Shikamaru and Choji having lost his appetite as well as his good mood from the information. Sakura saw this and grabbed his hand, shifting his attention once again. The blonde turned to her with a bit of confusion while she just smiled back at him. Naruto blushed, even with all the years he had known her that smile would always make the blonde's heart race.

"Come on, let's go see the Ichiraku's, I'm sure after seeing them and smelling your favorite food will make you feel better," Sakura said sincerely. The blonde smiled back before pecking her forehead about half a dozen times. "Sakura-chan you always have the best ideas, alright let's go!" He shouted but instead of running full sprint they walked hand in hand to the restaurant they had eaten at so many times before.

* * *

Just a short while later and stomachs full of the finest ramen in the village Sakura and Naruto proceeded to where they would meet their new teammate as well as their team leader. They eventually arrived and Sakura couldn't help but blurt out,

"Tenza-san your Kakashi-sensei's replacement?" Tenza frowned at Sakura's words and corrected her, "Actually for this mission, my code name is Yamato." Sakura and Naruto both shared a snort, "That's dumb but ok Yamato-san," Sakura replied. Naruto immediately asked Sakura how she knew this guy and she explained how Kakashi had introduced them about a year ago and how he had helped a lot with building their new home. Naruto started liking this guy more and more, with a smile he said,

"Ok Yamato-san you sound just as cool as Kakashi-sensei and thank you for your help. You have no idea what it means to me to have a place of our very own." Yamato smiled thinking this was going smoothly but that was only until their other teammate finally revealed himself.

"Long time no see dickless, my name is Sai," The previously unknown nin said happily with a fake smile. Naruto's anger started to rise at the insult to his manhood and Sakura saw that this was going to be a long mission if she didn't set these two straight. A small part of her was even amused as she was reminded of how Naruto and Sasuke would act and decided to settle it the same she always had,

"Oh Naruto-kun, Sai-san." Naruto immediately knew what was coming and even if he didn't like him he was obligated to warn the pale skinned boy, "Sai run!" Sai turned back to the blonde with confusion and saw him moving his legs at pace so fast his feet failed to hold any traction. As if the baka appeared to be running in place then the boy heard a loud,

"Double Sakura Smash!" Within seconds both boys were on the ground holding their heads. Sakura leaned in close to Naruto and healed his bump with her medical jutsu while whispering in his ear, "I don't like him either but we have to work with him if we want our friends back, remember baka," she said before kissing the now healed bump and getting to her feet. Sai actually looked at Sakura expecting to be healed as well but when he saw her glare the thought vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Sai got to his feet and decided to just keep his mouth shut for now.

Yamato sighed but ordered the new Team Kakashi, technically Yamato to introduce themselves and then to get their gear, they would be heading out within the next hour after all. With that the jonin as well as Sai vanished in a puff of smoke while Naruto and Sakura headed to their home to prepare for the coming mission that would, with any luck. allow them to see their friends again.

As the Uzumaki pair headed home and as Sai went to go get his mission briefing from Danzo, Yamato was meeting with Jiraiya and Tsunade back in Kakashi's hospital room. He had just entered when he heard Tsunade say, "So the battle was pretty much over when you and the others showed up." Kakashi simply nodded his head,

"If Naruto used the Nine-Tails chakra or that other chakra I don't know but I did notice that Hinata was holding onto Naruto as if he had expelled a large amount of chakra." The pair of sannin nodded and that's when he finally noticed Yamato's presence, "Tenza, I see so you're my replacement." Yamato frowned and tried to explain, "Yes Kakashi but for this mission it's Yamato." Kakashi turned back to Tsunade, "Good choice." The current Hokage smirked,

"I know with his wood style he'll be able to neutralize the fox's chakra if it gets to be much for Naruto to control," she bragged. However she then noticed her old pervert looking toward the ground as if in deep thought, "What are you thinking Jiraiya?" The toad sage sighed before responding,

"There's something I need to tell you three…" Jiraiya informed the shinobi of what happened during their trip and how he had tried to loosen the fox's seal himself, "I… I don't know how to explain it but it was like Naruto had turned into a completely different person, his chakra felt so wrong and I don't think it was the fox's doing either." The other's in the room took a moment to gather their thoughts before Tsunade finally responded,

"So what exactly does that mean Jiraiya?" The sage finally looked up and with a stern voice he answered, "No matter which way you look at it, the fact remains that those three are hiding something very important from all of us." He got to his feet and chuckled,

"For all we know, whatever information they have could be the missing piece we need to finally figure out what the Akatsuki's are after." Jiraiya sighed and after kissing his hime walked to the door, "I have to go and see what information my spies have picked up about the Akatuski's whereabouts so it's up to you and Kakashi to try and get whatever intel they have out of them. Whether you go find Hinata now or wait till they return from Tenichi Bridge, oh and that reminds me not a word of this around them, ok Yamato." With that the sage left Kakashi's hospital room leaving the three shinobi behind to figure out what to do next.

* * *

Just a little while later Yamato, Sai, Naruto, and Sakura were at the village gates and after a short word that quickly headed toward Tenichi Bridge. They were making good time, they still had a few days before the meeting and so far nothing had gotten in their way. That was until Naruto shot Sai a dirty look remembering what Sakura had told him about the boy's apparent superior Danzo.

"If you keep looking at me like that Nine-Tails, I'll kill you," Sai responded in a tone lacking any real emotion. Naruto and Sakura went wide eyed but the blonde quickly recovered and yanked Sai by his collar, "What did you just say you pale faced bastard!" Before the blonde could land a blow he felt his fist held back and heard Yamato say, "Naruto enough, if you and Sai can't get along I swear I'll cancel this mission and we'll go right back."

"But Sai..." He said, turning to Sakura for support; she was glaring at Sai but eventually huffed, "You know we have to work together with this teme if we want to bring Ino and Sasuke home, please Naruto-kun." Naruto finally released Sai and started moving again but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard him chuckle, "What!" Naruto barked which caused the pale faced boy to calm down,

"You're angry at me for only telling the truth, your own comrade and a fellow Leaf shinobi." "So!" Sai looked him straight in the eyes as he replied, "But yet you're so desperate to save Sasuke Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka, traitors who tried to murder both you and Sakura at the Valley of the End. Honestly I really don't understand it."

"Why you.,." The blonde stopped when he felt Sakura's hand on his shoulder again, "Ignore him Naruto and let's just move on." Naruto wanted to argue but stopped when he felt Sakura's fingers caressing his cheek and eventually started moving forward again. Yamato sighed thankful that Sakura at least could keep her emotions in check. That was until he heard, "Oh and Sai…" The wood style user turned around just in time to see Sakura's fist lodged deeply in Sai's gut. The root nin flew back several feet before landing on his back,

"If you ever talk badly about my friends or my Naru-kun again, I'll kill you, ok!" Sai got to his feet slowly while the blonde looked at Sakura in shock while he thought, 'Kami I love that woman.' Then another thought occurred to him, "Sakura-chan why did you stop me if you were going to hit him anyway?" Sakura looked at Naruto with a smile that was cute but also somewhat terrifying,

"Silly I hit harder Naruto-kun." She replied devilishily while Sai let out a few coughs of blood, effectively gaining the Uzumaki's attention. "Wow you put on such a sincere smile just before you hit me but I guess it was a fake one... interesting." Naruto and Sakura looked at each other having had just enough of this bargain bin teme but before they could do a thing they heard Yamato shout, "**Wood Style - Four Pillar Prison Jutsu!**" Suddenly four wooden pillars shot up from the ground encasing all three of the younger shinobi inside,

"I said enough, either you stop your bullshit now or the three of you can spend the rest of the day inside this cage!" Surprisingly enough it was Sai who apologized first and Naruto and Sakura also admitted their faults so Yamato released them but not before announcing, "Good then we can enjoy our day at the hot springs." 'Hot springs?' the three shinobi under Yamato's command all thought at the same time.

It wasn't more than a few hours later when Naruto found himself relaxing comfortably in the warm water of the hot springs that Yamato had been ever so kind as to pay for. He was just about to close his eyes when he heard his new teammate snicker, "What?!" The blonde growled out actually standing up from how aggravated this guy made him,

"Well looks like I was wrong, you do have something between your legs after all but I still say you have no balls," Sai replied the faintest hint of amusement behind his normally unemotional expression. Naruto flustered a bright red and submerged himself into the water as quickly as he could. When he finally regained some level of composure he shouted far louder than needed,

"Please for the love of Kami stop talking about my junk!" In the span of just a few seconds giggles were heard from across the wall that separated the males and females sides. Naruto stuck his head into the water hoping to drown out his embarrassment while Sai just grinned clearly satisfied with the results of their conversation. Unbeknownst to them a certain pinkette was mirroring her blonde soulmate's actions but taking up one more step choosing to submerge herself and repeatedly bash her head against the rocks at the edge of a spring,

'Kami, I'm in love with such an idiot.' Sakura thought as she wished she could at least give her baka a good bonk for being so damn embarrassing. Back on the boy's side Yamato had decided that he had enough and was getting ready to leave. Before he did so though he warned Naruto not to do any peeking with his most serious voice. This failed to gain the reaction the jonin wished for though because surprisingly enough the blonde only chuckled,

"Trust me I heard the story about Pervy Sage and Ba-chan but my scenario is a little different. If I actually tried something like that I doubt Sakura would try to kill me just because I saw her, hell we live in the same house now. Not to mention if the council has their way we'll be having our wedding in just a few months anyway. She would definitely slaughter me for looking at all those other girls though, believe it." He finished which made Yamato think for a moment, 'Well it saves me some ryo if I only get three rooms and not four.' He figured before heading back to the changing room.

After a nice warm meal paid for courtesy of Yamato, Naruto and Sakura found themselves in their rented room. They talked about Sasuke and Ino, the village and their crappy way of running things as well as Hinata and her likely promotion to chunin. At some point their conversation turned to the Akatsuki as well as their last mission.

"That guy was really messed up huh Sakura-chan," Naruto said referring to Sasori. Sakura nodded, "Yeah he was but I've been reading Lady Chiyo's diaries," she started while pulling out the items she had been gifted after said mission. "But just like everyone else he was once just a little boy who had his parents taken away from him by this cruel shinobi world, sound familiar, Naruto-kun," Sakura finished. Naruto looked to the ground as he replied,

"Yeah he's just like me and Sasuke." The blonde slowly lifted his gaze and directed his attention solely on the pinkette, "But I'm not him Sakura-chan, I will never allow my darkness to consume me. I will save Sasuke from his own hatred and when I become Hokage I promise I'll do everything within my power to ensure this kind of messed up shit doesn't happen anymore." Sakura was already flushed from the blonde's damn determined look and his words struck a chord in her. The damn fool suffered so much but yet he just wants to save others from a similar fate,

"I know Naruto-kun and I'll be there to help and support you... always." Sakura saw the blonde's grin go wide after that and Sakura couldn't help but to tease him a little, "Now you just got to go get my damn ring baka." Unfortunately for Sakura Naruto saw through her little game and tackled to the bed, after lavishing her face with kisses for a few moments he whispered over her lips, "I have it just got to wait for the right timing Sakura." He said in a tone that she had not heard from him before and inadvertently forced her to let out a moan. Sakura immediately pushed the blonde off and both teens looked at each other red in the face but eventually they both burst out in laughter. After a few moments they managed to calm down and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

March 12th, 67 AFL

Sakura awoke to the sound of Naruto's heartbeat, her head resting on his chest as he continued to sleep. She smiled before getting to her feet and stretching. She grabbed her shinobi gear and headed to the bathroom in order to change out of her sweatpants and tank top. When she emerged she walked over to the window and spotted Sai sitting under a tree apparently writing something in a notebook.

Deciding it would be worth it to at least try to get to know Sai a little better she slipped out of their room letting the blonde baka get a little bit more sleep. Her attempt was in vain however because as soon as she shut the door the blonde awoke from the sound. Figuring Sakura had already left he put on his own jumpsuit after changing out of his nightwear and went out to find her.

Meanwhile Sakura had already reached her destination and being the inquisitive person that she was couldn't help but take a peak over the pale boy's shoulder. She noticed that his journal was full of drawings and Sakura smiled, "I really like your art, what's this one called?" She asked while pointing toward the book. Sai immediately shut his sketchbook but did reply,

"None of my drawings have names, I never thought of giving them any." Sakura frowned, "But doesn't a piece of art have to represent something that you're feeling at the time? It's kinda weird not having a name for any of them." She replied while Sai looked at his sketchbook as if in deep thought, "Well I guess it's because I've never felt anything." Sakura glared not angry with Sai but at his master Danzo,

'How the hell can you treat people like this, teaching them that it's a good thing to be an emotionless machine.' Before Sakura could ask Sai any more questions her baka and Yamato finally showed themselves, "What's up Sakura-chan, Sai," Naruto said. Sakura waved and then returned her attention to her other teammate, "So is there a specific reason you draw?" She asked, trying to get the boy to open up to them a little more. Sai looked to the ground before he replied solemnly,

"I made this book for my brother." "Your brother?" Sakura inquired but Sai started walking toward Yamato and she could sense the boy was done talking at least for now. Just a few minutes later Yamato told the group they were moving out and they left the hot springs behind.

Over the course of the next few hours Naruto and Sai would throw quiet insults toward the other which was starting to drive the pinkette mad before Yamato stopped them in their tracks. He led them off the trail and into a dark secluded location where he informed his team that this very well could be a trap and to be extra careful if any members of the Akatsuki showed themselves.

With that done they resumed their journey until the last of the day's light finally disappeared over the horizon. As soon as it did Yamato stopped his team and told them they would be camping for the night. The younger shinobi thought it was odd until Yamato used his rare wood style jutsu to create a full sized house for them to spend the night. Naruto couldn't help but grin which the wood style user noticed,

"Yup Naruto, it's the same way we built your home." Naruto grin grew to a genuine smile as he tackled the wood style user while lavishing him with gratitude, "Thank you Yamato-sensei, you have no idea what it's like to be able to come home to your own place for once," he said. Sakura huffed and looked away, "I was one who oversaw that whole project while you were away, remember." The blonde immediately dove from Yamato to Sakura causing the pair to tumble to the ground. He immediately started pecking her forehead while repeating things like,

"I know, I love you, and thank you so much." Sakura laughed and pushed him off, "I was only teasing, I know my baka." She replied and then took the blonde's hand while they made their way inside. Inside the house was a bit disappointing considering there was absolutely zero furniture but the team of shinobi made the best of it deciding to meet up in the largest room to discuss their mission.

Naruto and Sakura retold the tale of their mission to save the Kazekage as well as gave an in depth profile on the Akatsuki member they would be impersonating. Together they were able to give enough info for Yamato to be satisfied that he could accurately impersonate him. The jonin explained that he would go in first disguised as Sasori and would signal them when it was time to strike, reminding them that they had to take their target alive.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura being a medical nin was considered vital to mission success and was paired with the more experienced Yamato while he was stuck with the bargain bin teme. The blonde wanted to complain but he was able to hold back due mostly to Sakura sensing an outburst and reverting to the old tactic of rubbing his cheeks and eventually the team of shinobi was able to drift off to sleep without anymore confrontations.

* * *

March 13th, 67 AFL

Yamato thought the practice run for their mission was going perfectly, Naruto and Sai appeared to be working together and Sakura was behind them ready to support in any way she could. This was until he saw Sai use one of his own jutsus to tie up his partner, "What the hell is wrong with you!" Naruto shouted, luckily for the blonde he hadn't trusted Sai from the beginning and unbeknownst to the root nin had steathfully put a seal on his teammate's back.

"Fine you want to play that way, **Flying Thunder God!**" 'Damn I forgot he could do that but where…' Sai's thought process was cut off as his face came into contact with the blonde's right fist, "Now I asked you a question, what the hell were you thinking? Do you even know what a comrade is?" Sai got to his feet and replied in that same emotionless tone,

"You're pathetic, you fall for such simple techniques, it's like you're trying to get killed. If you're of no use to me then I'll leave you for dead. That's the way I was taught and if you're curious," Sai pulled out a blank scroll and mocked Naruto by writing out the word comrade along with a very detailed definition. Naruto growled when Sai handed him the scroll and immediately threw it to the ground in anger,

"I will never consider someone like you a comrade let alone a friend. As soon as we get Sasuke back I hope I never see you again because as far as I'm concerned you'll never be a member of Team Kakashi or Team Yamato!" Sai actually let out a chuckle as he looked his teammate straight in the eyes,

"I wonder what Sasuke would have done? Would he have covered you, protected you. I'm sorry but how you can call someone who betrayed his team and his village a comrade is beyond me." Sai stopped chuckling and looked on ominously, "Sasuke Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka are traitors, end of story. They deserve nothing more than a long painful death for what they've done or maybe you just really enjoyed being the Uchiha's pet fox."

"That's enough Naruto Sai, how can you act like this in front of your squad leader? Now break it up or I swear I'll cancel this mission right now," Yamato ordered the two boy's. Naruto scowled at Sai but didn't reply, instead deciding to go for a short walk to clear his head. Sakura went over to Sai and Yamato, had he not ordered them to stop Sakura would have punched the pale skinned boy through a few trees herself.

"Why do you care so much for these traitors?" Sai suddenly asked Sakura, actually showing the slightest bit of aggravation through his normally unreadable face. Sakura scowled at the boy but did reply, "Sasuke was my first crush and Ino is my best friend just like Sasuke is to Naruto. Sasuke and Ino are our family, they're like siblings to us and they left the village for a damn good reason!" Sakura actually ended up shouting. She noticed Yamato looking at her and deciding she didn't care she continued, "You have a brother don't you? How would it feel if your brother left the village?" Sai thought about it for a moment before responding,

"I see, I guess I should've looked like you two then." Sakura raised an eyebrow in curiosity while Sai finished, "My brother is already dead, I always wondered what someone would look like after they lost someone so clo…" Sai was unable to finish his statement as Sakura was unable to hold back any longer though she only sent the boy a few feet, "Stay away from us! Naruto and I don't even want to talk to a heartless scum like you so unless it's mission related you better leave us the hell alone, understand!" Sakura yelled and then immediately headed off in the direction that Naruto had gone. Sai got to his feet again and without saying a word he left heading the opposite way. Meanwhile Yamato let out a groan wondering how this mission could possibly not end in disaster.

* * *

March 14th - March 16th, 67 AFL

Over the next few days Team Yamato practiced and ran numerous simulations of how the bridge mission might go. Their teamwork improved slowly but Sai would only speak to Naruto and Sakura if it concerned their training or their mission. The first day Naruto and Sakura were more than grateful but on the second they started to think maybe they had been a bit hard on the root nin.

He had grown up alone in the foundation and had already lost his brother forever while they still had a chance to save theirs. By the third and final day the Uzumaki pair decided that once they got back to the village they would apologize to Sai and maybe try to integrate him into their friend group. Since they figured they'd have Sasuke and Ino back they figured they could have Sai meet them himself and then he would understand, they hoped. Eventually it was time, tomorrow at noon they would meet Sasori's spy and hopefully some intel that would lead him to Orochimaru.

* * *

March 17th, 67 AFL

It was just thirty minutes before the spy was supposed to show up, Sai had used his drawings to scope out the area looking for any signs of an ambush while Naruto did the same with the clones that he had transformed into birds. Both boys agreed that there appeared to be no one hiding in the surrounding area and the team all formed up to go over their strategy one final time.

With that done, Sai, Naruto, and Sakura took their positions while Yamato henged into Sasori's Hiruko puppet and made his way to the bridge. With the Leaf nin all in position the clock finally struck noon and just as planned a hooded figure made his way to the bridge. The Leaf nin regonzied him immediately after he removed his hood, it was Orochimaru's right hand man Kabuto Yakushi. Yamato, still disguised, attempted to ask Kabuto about Orochimaru's whereabouts as well as Sasuke Uchiha's but he was shocked when Kabuto burst out laughing.

Suddenly he lunged at Yamato while ranting, "You dare speak Orochimaru-sama's name and that bastard's in the same sentence!" Yamato backed away but the fake Hiruko puppet was shattered revealing Yamato's true identity. He immediately signaled his comrades to come out of hiding and Kabuto just continued to laugh like a mad man, "Oh I get it, so the Leaf actually managed to kill Sasori. I would say I'm surprised but I've learned never to underestimate the shinobi of the Leaf," Kabuto said.

"We don't care about any of that, just tell me where Sasuke is you bastard!" Naruto growled out. Kabuto's laughing stopped dead in his tracks, "I'm surprised word hasn't reached you yet but fine I'll tell you what I know. It's not like it matters to me now anyway." "What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, her anger clearly visible. "Enough you two, Kabuto, tell us what you know now," Yamato demanded. Kabuto started chuckling again, "I honestly can't believe it myself but fine it all started about ten days ago."

* * *

Flashback: March 7th, 67 AFL

The snake sannin was sitting in his lair patiently awaiting the arrival of his apprentice, in just a few months his current body would be close to death and the transference ritual would be more than ready. He wore a sick grin as he thought about the power the sharingan would provide him. He hadn't noticed that the hideout had been even more quiet than usual nor that Kabuto was nowhere to be found, the only thing on his mind was Sasuke.

"Where is that damn brat?" He said to himself, wanting to get this training session along. Suddenly the sannin sensed something was off and rose to his feet but before he could do a thing he was tied to the chair he was sitting in by metal wires and shuriken. "What's the meaning of this Sasuke!" Orochimaru growled out causing the Uchiha to snicker before finally appearing from the shadows. "Sasuke!" The snake sannin growled and attempted to break through the wires, cursing his old sensei for maiming his arms. He was just starting to feel the decay of his current body.

"Do you remember my first words to you Orochimaru? Well Karin and I will refresh your memory! Burn you son of a bitch, **Fire Style - Dragon Flame Jutsu!**""**Fire Style - Fireball Jutsu!**" Sasuke and Karin yelled respectively. Sasuke's jutsu traveled down the wires reaching the sannin while Karin stood on the ceiling sending her ball of fire directly toward the snake's head. Orochimaru let out a wail of pain and Sasuke couldn't help but taunt,

"Thanks for helping me master my fire chakra sensei." The sannin appeared to burn into ash but Sasuke knew better, "Karin on me be ready for anything." Karin nodded and just as predicted an attack came from their rear, **"Striking Shadow Snake!**" Snakes shot from Orochimaru's damaged hands, he appeared to be in great pain but Sasuke was able to counter in time,

"**Chidori Stream!**" He shouted while pointing his sword at the oncoming attack. Instantly lightning shot from the sword, bouncing off the ground before it vaporized the dangerous reptiles. Orochimaru could only scowl, he had let this boy become too arrogant, too powerful, and scariest of all too uncontrollable. Sasuke started to laugh at the sannin's pathetic form,

"Did you really think I was just going to give you my life? I am an Uchiha and honestly even with all you've accomplished you're still no match for us. That's why you came after me in the first place isn't it because a child was all you could handle, you really are a pathetic joke." "I will have your body Sasuke!" Orochimaru shouted in rage and slithered just like the snake he was at a remarkable speed toward the two Uchiha. Luckily for them their plan had managed to work,

"**Water Style - Giant Vortex Jutsu!**" "Karin, hold on to me," Sasuke said when the roof suddenly gave way and a devastating amount of water came through landing directly on the sannin. Meanwhile Sasuke held Karin in his arms as he navigated his way around the water based attack and up to the outside world. They managed to find the third member of their trio panting, "Well done Ino." Sasuke said, "Now I'll finish it."

'Well done my ass, he has no idea how much time it took to store up all that water in those damn scrolls not to mention the amount of chakra that it took to flood the entire room.' Ino thought in annoyance while Karin started trying to replenish her counterparts reserves with medical ninjutsu. Sasuke smirked before noticing the weather, he raised his right hand into the air and began to gather chakra, and lightning started to spark erratically around his entire body. Sasuke was just about to execute his jutsu when he saw the snake's ugly face emerge from the water, it more psychotic than the Uchiha had ever seen, "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!"

"Now die already, **Kirin!**" Sasuke shouted and suddenly lightning came flying down from the very sky itself and was sent directly toward the sannin submerged in water. A flash of light went off blinding the trio of Uchiha while the snake was seemingly electrocuted. When Sasuke opened his eyes he knew his attack hadn't finished the job,

"So you've finally revealed it, the power of the white snake." Just as Sasuke said an enormous snake with white scales was staring them down, slithering just on the water's surface. "Yes it's far earlier than I would have liked but now you're mine!" "Ino, Karin, stay back, the rest is up to me." The Uchiha said but before he could make a move the snake lunged at Sasuke so fast he was swallowed up in one gulp. Just a few moments later Sasuke and Orochimaru were in the mental plane the sannin had created himself. Even though he wasn't prepared to take the Uchiha's body today, the ritual seemed to be working perfectly. That was until he noticed something very important about his new vessel's body,

"Sasuke where is your curse mark?!" The snake said in surprise about how a power like his could be so easily removed. Sasuke just started to chuckle in a deep voice which gained the sannin's full attention, "Well you see sensei you're not the only bastard after my body and guess what…" Orochimaru gritted his teeth in rage,

"What the hell are you saying Sasuke? There's no way you could have removed that mark! Now tell me what is going on…" The sannin was silenced as he felt a spike in the Uchiha's chakra and dark aura fill the landscape, "What is this?" Orochimaru questioned as he saw his snakes fall off of Sasuke and burn in what appeared to be dark flames. Slowly the entire room was engulfed in nothing but shadows and when he looked at the boy whose body he was so desperate to have he actually stepped back in fear.

"That arm… That's… That's why you've kept it bandaged for the last year. Just what the hell is that power… What the hell are you Sasuke?" Sasuke stood there for a moment looking blankly at his enemy before his gaze drifted to his arm which from his hand to his shoulder, appeared to have been burnt severely,

"I gained this power just a little over a year ago, the same day your curse mark disappeared. I was curious as to why but then I started hearing his voice…" Whose voice?" Orochimaru questioned trying to gain any intel he could but Sasuke just continued on, "I hated him for trying to tell me what to do but the more I learned about his past… my past… The more I started to sympathize with him. Ironic isn't it?" The snake just looked confused, what the hell had been going on in his apprentice's head he wondered but before he could get an answer Sasuke spoke again.

"I agree that this world needs to change… that it needs to be saved or people will just continue to suffer and die again and again." Without warning Sasuke's sharingan flared and his attention became solely focused on the man who had not only used his own clan for his benefit but as well as the man who had made thousands of others suffer his cruelty,

"And it all starts with you, **Sharingan!**" Suddenly the darkness surrounding the mental landscape constricted violently against the sannin's very consciousness, "No this can't be!" Without blinking Sasuke managed a chuckle, "It's like you're being squeezed to death, fitting for a snake." Sasuke flared his chakra one last time and shouted, "Now begone!" The darkness's grip tightened at once and the man who had shedded his true body long ago was finally stripped of the only thing he had that was his, his very mind.

The Uchiha blinked and found himself on his knees with Ino and Karin supporting him each holding one of his arms. He looked and was grateful that in the physical world his bandages had remained in place, telling Ino and Karin would just cause them to worry and besides he had an idea on how to get rid of it. "Is it finally over?" Karin questioned looking toward the water, just on the surface the trio could see the snake remnants scattered about but just as quickly they started to dissolve into nothing but sludge.

"Yeah Karin-chan, he'll never bother you again." Sasuke said as he gathered himself back up. "Now we need to go free Suigetsu," he added, causing the redhead to groan, "Sasuke-kun why him, he's annoying and gross." She said with a snort which caused both Ino and Sasuke to chuckle. "What!" Karin said annoyed that there was apparently a joke she wasn't getting.

"Nothing Karin, come on let's go find the freaky fish dude, if I know anything it's that our work is far from over." Ino said and started following Sasuke back inside the hideout. Karin huffed but eventually followed as well. Several minutes later Sasuke had released Suigetsu from his specifically designed prison. The white haired teen splashed to the ground in a pool of water before turning back to his human form using his special ability. The ex Mist nin laughed before saying,

"Orochimaru's gonna be pissed, you freed his pet fish." "Orochimaru is dead, Sasuke killed him," Karin replied before the boy could get in another word. Suigetsu's eyes widened for a second before turning to the Uchiha who gave a slight nod of recognition. Suigetsu laughed his ass off at the news, "You actually killed that bastard, I'm impressed but there's still the matter of why you decided to stick around and free me?" Sasuke didn't answer him at first, instead he asked Ino and Karin,

"Can you two go around and free the rest of the prisoners. Be careful though, you know how some of them can be." Ino and Karin both nodded, more than happy to help others who had suffered at the hands of their tormentor and left the room without another word. Sasuke returned his attention to Suigetsu before explaining, "I'm putting a team together and I need you on it," he said flatly. Suigetsu snickered, "Yeah and what's in it for me?" Sasuke smirked his classic Uchiha smirk,

"Something I think you'll want, one of the seven deadly swords of the Mist." Suigetsu's eyes widened for a second before he composed himself, "Alright Sasuke I'm listening." Roughly a couple of hours later, Sasuke, Ino, Karin, and Suigetsu were walking out of Orochimaru's hideout and heading toward the location of the final person that Sasuke wanted for his mission.

"Ino make sure you are not seen and if you're captured make sure you tell them that I threatened you. I don't want you being held in prison for decisions that I made." Sasuke said as he discussed her special assignment. "Don't worry Sasuke-kun, I'll get in, grab the scroll and get out." 'And with any luck information about the Uchiha massacre,' the platinum blonde thought. She still hadn't told Sasuke about her theory and was frankly quite afraid of what he would do if she was, Kami forbid right.

"Good, we'll meet you at the Northern hideout, we'll be stopping by any hideouts along the way as well to release Orochimaru's prisoners." "After we get my sword," Suigetsu chimed in causing Karin to scowl, "You selfish ass, there are people in cages right now and all you care about is a stupid piece of metal." Suigetsu scowled right back in turn, "At least I have a hobby other than being one of Sasuke's…" His statement was cut short when he felt Sasuke's blade at his throat,

"Enough, both of you." Sasuke growled while scowling at the nin from the Mist and then turned his head to Karin shifting his expression to merely annoyed. Karin huffed and looked away, "He's still gross." "And you're still ugly," Suigetsu muttered under his breath. Ino was giggling at the pair interactions when she had a thought,

"Sasuke-kun are you modeling this team after…" The blonde was silenced when Sasuke put a hand out in front of her and she saw who they had run into. "What are you four doing out here?" Where is Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto questioned having just returned from his task. Sasuke chuckled darkly and looked the sound nin dead in the eyes,

"**Sharingan - Genjutsu!**" Before he knew what was going on Kabuto witnessed his master's final moments at the hands of the Uchiha. After what seemed like forever the jutsu finally ended and Kabuto awoke. It was now dark out and there was no trace of Sasuke or his team. Kabuto immediately returned to the base and screamed in horror finding all of the test subjects had been set free. He traveled as quickly as he could to the sight of the battle and found what little remained of his master still floating atop the water's surface. Through his grief he gathered liquid remains into vials and swore that he would do what his master could not, to master every jutsu as well as to kill Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

March 17th, 67 AFL (Present Day)

"And that's what happened, now if you'll excuse me I have some important work to do today so I'll be taking my leave," Kabuto said and turned to start walking away from team Yamato. "Not so fast Kabuto, you're still a wanted criminal and you know where the other hideouts are so I'm afraid we'll be taking you in," Yamato replied,

"Naruto, Sai, let's do it." "Right," Naruto said as Sai simply answered with a nod, he would have to report this information to Lord Danzo as soon as possible he thought. But just as the team of shinobi got in close Kabuto spoke again, "You know it's a shame you failed to bring a Byakugan user with you." "And why is that you bastard," Naruto shouted, a Rasengan in one hand and a kunai in the other. "You've forgotten my specialites Naruto…"

"Just shut up, **Rasengan!**" The blonde chunin shouted his attack making contact and sending the sound nin into a tree. Within an instant Sai's ink creatures had secured him tightly to the trunk. "Looks like you were all talk, what!" Yamato said as Naruto, Sai, as well as Sakura came up to their prisoner. Kabuto grinned,

"Like I said, you forgot I'm a master of escape and evasion techniques," Suddenly Kabuto's body dissolved into several disgusting gray snakes that all slithered away before the Leaf shinobi could do a thing. "Damn, Damn, Damn, where is he?" Naruto growled and immediately created a horde of shadow clones to survey the area. Sai also created several small birds, snakes, and rabbits having them help scout as well but after an hour of this it was apparent Kabuto was far too elusive for them to find. Finally Yamato called out,

"Naruto, Sai that's enough. It's clear that he's long gone and we have to report this information to Lady Hokage as soon as possible." Sai complied, commanding his ink creatures to return while Naruto released his clones. Sai got right back in formation wanting to report to Danzo as soon as possible but Sakura and Naruto didn't budge at first, only staring at the ground blankly. Yamato was just about to call out their names but it was Naruto who spoke first while collapsing to the ground and slamming his fist upon it in frustration. "Dammit all to hell! Ino, Sasuke where the hell are you!?"

* * *

**AN: Hey sorry it took so long, needed a bit of a break, not much to say here lol. Like I said, the story I have planned for Sasuke is already in motion and honestly I don't want to explain away every little decision that I'm making right now. We'll be focusing on Naruto's rasen shuriken and Hinata's lightning training and her chunin exam to an extent hopefully Hidan and Kakuzu and that story line as well as the formation of Sasuke's team and a few other scenes I have planned. Will likely include both boy's journey's in the next chapter and we'll be flowing through time a little faster than the previous chapters. Have a lot planned and honestly could have included a bit more here but I want to keep you guessing a little. I am planning a 5 chapter crossover but I'll be posting that all at once but it will not be the characters from this fic it will be based off of the canon versions up to the first battle of the valley of the end and start from there and a main pairing for that will be NaruSaku but you'll have to wait till I post it to find out more and working on the Au Pokemon endings as well Serena is next probably the easiest girl to do for Ash lol That's really it for now like I always hope you enjoyed at least a little and will try to be a bit faster with the next chapter but no set date yet but it will come. Thank you all and for now farewell **


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